North Hampton Restaurant Undergoes 'Impossible' Upgrades

Food Network celebrity chef Robert Irvine is known for dramatically reshaping businesses while dishing out tough love on his show "Restaurant: Impossible," and one Seacoast-area business will soon enjoy the fruits of Irvine's kitchen-tested wisdom.

Bella Rose Brick Oven Pizza, of North Hampton, is currently undergoing significant, Irvine-inspired updates to the restaurant, which has a distinct advantage over most of the brash Brit's TV destinations: Bella Rose isn't days away from failing.

Owner Sean Correll, a "huge" fan of Irvine and "Restaurant: Impossible," said he was inspired to make dramatic renovations to his 62a Lafayette Road pizzeria and update the menu for the first time in years after speaking to Irvine at Pizza Expo, a Las Vegas, Nev., pizza trade convention in March.

Correll said Irvine, who was the Pizza Expo keynote speaker, gave him "great advice" on how to turn around Bella Rose's past "couple of years" worth of slumping sales, starting with the floor and ending with some of the gourmet pizza choices on the menu.

"He gave me some great advice about remodeling the pizzeria and updating the menu as I had not changed anything since we started doing pizza 7 years ago and the menu has not changed in about 4 years," said Correll in an e-mail.

Correll closed Bella Rose on Sunday in order for he, his daughter Rosie, his parents and a few employees to undergo a three-day "Pizza Impossible" transformation based on Irvine's tips and advice given to Correll by Pete Lachapelle, the owner and president of Pizza Today magazine, which organized Pizza Expo.

Lachapelle, during a trip from Kentucky to Portland, Maine, also stopped in at Bella Rose about a week after Pizza Expo. Correll said Lachapelle gave him many beneficial tips based on what he saw firsthand.

The various suggestions and constructive criticisms will soon result in a new sign, new wood flooring, new chairs, new paint on the ceiling and walls, a new feature wall, new flat screen televisions, refinished chairs, refreshed decor, a refinished deck, new deck furniture, and possibly even new tables, according to Correll, who said they plan to do "as much as [they] can."

A "few new sandwiches, some new gourmet pizzas and a few new appetizers" will also be added to the menu, which Correll said will be modified to reflect "new choices that are trending across the country" without dumping "the favorites."

The updates will be unveiled Thursday as part of a soft re-opening. Correll said no grand re-opening celebration or special event is planned because Bella Rose is "trying hard" to accomplish its lofty renovation goals.

Many individuals — residents and seasonal visitors — are eagerly anticipating a chance to see changes, including Lachapelle, who posted the following messages on the Bella Rose Facebook page:

I'll be there in June! Looking forward to seeing the changes ...and tasting them too!

Can't wait to see the new ones!!! Summer's coming ...fresh menu ...fresh interior ...no doubt you'll have the best in town!

Best pizza-joint in town ...is about to get better!

More information about Bella Rose, which started doing pizza about seven years ago, can be found on the business' website or by calling (603) 964-1498.