Daily Inspiration: Meet Kelly Crobu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Crobu.

Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Casa Crobu has been a dream of ours for quite some time. My husband, Mario, and I (Kelly) have worked in the hospitality industry for years, and have always wanted to start a food business of our own. My husband is from the Mediterranean Island of Sardegna in Italy, so we are very proud to offer some unique specialties from that region (Culurgiones, Malloreddus alla Campidanese) in addition to some more familiar Italian classics (Lasagna, Ravioli, etc.). “Crobu” is our last name and means “crow” in Sardegnan. One of our favorite things to do is host others in our home (“casa”), so what really brings us joy with Casa Crobu is having the opportunity to share our authentic homemade Italian cooking with others in the comfort of their own homes.

One of the biggest things that makes Casa Crobu unique to other meal delivery services is that the majority of our menu is “fresh frozen”. This concept gives people the chance to order multiple dishes and stock their freezers in order to have high-quality, exceptional meal options any night of the week and without a lot of planning or fuss. The quality that goes into everything we do also really shows and brings people back over and over. We make everything completely from scratch, including all of our pasta dough by hand (even the pasta sheets for every lasagna), slow cook all our sauces, and really put a lot of love into everything we do! We use simple, fresh ingredients, and by freezing our dishes right after preparing them, we preserve flavors and nutrients right at their peak without any additives or preservatives. Then, with simple cooking instructions, people prepare each dish in their home oven or stovetop (so no microwave!). The result is a truly authentic home-cooked meal without all the work! In a lot of ways, our concept is similar to how families in Italy prepare these types of foods. Making things like Lasagna (especially if you are making the pasta by hand) can take an entire day to prepare, so there is little sense in just making one at a time. The same goes for Ravioli and other handmade pastas. It makes much more sense to prepare a lot at once and save things for the future.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While we’ve had the dream and idea since we moved to Denver (almost 6 years ago), for the first few years we really were only able to experiment for friends and family on the side while both still working full-time restaurant jobs. However, once the pandemic hit, and we were both unemployed overnight, we were really able to go all in and create a full-fledged business. It’s still a process and a constant learning experience, but I keep reminding us that, “hey, everyone says starting a small business is hard, so we must be doing something right!” We have been very lucky to have found some very loyal followers who absolutely love our food and what we do, and this is what keeps us going! We have found that home deliveries slow down somewhat over the summer months, however, we have also found that Farmer’s Markets are a great thing for us during this time! So with each challenge, we learn new things and continue to adapt and grow. We are truly grateful for everyone who has and is supporting us all along the way!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We have both worked in restaurants for many years, in just about every position, and in many cities and countries. We are proud, and blessed, to be able to finally put all of that experience and hard work together in our own venture. It’s also great that, right when our lives are taking a turn as far as building a family, we have been able to carve out a business that allows us to still exist within the food and hospitality industry that we know and love, while also (potentially, not quite yet!) maintaining a sustainable work/life balance. Anyone who has ever worked in hospitality and restaurants can, without a doubt, attest to the fact that there is something special and inescapable that happens when it comes to the bonds built with co-workers and other members of the “industry”. It truly feels like family. It’s this same idea that we hope to spread to others through the love and care we put into our food, building an extended “Famiglia”, while also making it possible for people to enjoy delicious meals with their immediate family as well.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I (Kelly) grew up overseas in the Philippines, and my favorite memories were going to the beach every time we had a school break. My dad had a saltwater aquarium, and we would snorkel and catch beautiful, tropical fish to bring home. Mario’s favorite memories growing up were also at the beach and fishing.

He grew up spearfishing and deep-sea fishing in the Mediterranean. We realized this connection early on while we were dating, and it was so great for me to eventually learn spearfishing with him because it felt like I’d been training for it my whole life, I just needed to dive a little deeper and hold my breath a little longer.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.casacrobu.com
• Instagram: @casacrobu
• Facebook: @casacrobu
• Yelp: casacrobu