This story has gotten so confusing. Years ago, I became obsessed with the chicken parmesan at Italia Mia. I’d often go for lunch since their location on 62nd in St. Pete wasn’t far from our studios. The lunch specials were super cheap. Most times, I stuck with the chicken parm but the Italian sausages and pizza were also pretty amazing.

Then the pandemic hit. COVID 19 dealt a lethal blow to many restaurants. Some takeout places thrived. But unfortunately every time I went to Italia Mia, it was like a ghost town. And I couldn’t help but notice the taste of the food started to go downhill. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what was different, but something had definitely changed. Maybe the ingredients changed. Employers were having trouble hiring at the time so I blamed the pandemic.