Casale Al Mare: Pasta, Pastries, and a Taste of Italy in Brigantine
Esther Casale, owner of Casale Al Mare
“This is Campofilone, one of the best egg pastas I've ever had," said Esther Casale, as she points to a beautiful box of Italian pasta while browsing around her shop, Casale Al Mare. "There are so many flavors; texture-wise it's amazing. It boils up in three or four minutes and in some, one to two minutes. You don't want this to be overcooked."
Casale's is an Italian specialty foods shop, caterer, coffee shop, and learning space all wrapped up in one cute corner location. Esther began her journey as a shopkeeper back in PA, moved to Brigantine and has been bringing her strong passion and knowledge for Italian cooking and food products to the island ever since.
If you're hoping to visit Italy or just want to feel like you did, head over to Casale's - either way, you'll be living la dolce vita in no time.
"25 years I'm doing this. My father kept tradition going and my grandmom did too," explained Esther, a first generation
Casale's had a bit of a glow up over the off season. Esther did an edit inside, in both the front and the back, giving the space a more clean, airy feel, more room to highlight the fine products she loves, more space for her free weekly cooking demonstrations, for the coffee bar customers, and more.
Casale's sells a full selection of cheeses, meats, pastas, rice, sauces, beans, lentils, mixes, mixers, and fresh breads, plus there's a full-service espresso bar, gelato, biscotti and other desserts, and more. The freezers are filled with pizza dough, zucchini flowers, vegetables in batter, tortelloni, sacchetti ravioli, osso bucco ravioli, shrimp and crab ravioli, potato croquettes, sweet corn polenta ravioli, butternut and pumpkin ravioli, turkey meatballs, cheesesteak eggrolls and other prepared and semi-prepared foods.
"I have a lot of sauces. My favorite is my Just Like Mamma's house sauce. It's very much just like my grandmother's. It's the San Marzano tomatoes and the love," said Esther.
There's also a catering menu of antipasto and party trays, plus prepared sandwiches available.
If you're not sure how to use any of the products in the shop, Esther is there for you with her very own cooking classes. ‘I'm going to start cooking classes back again,’ she said. Only 20 people in a class. I used to take 30 people and you're almost sitting in people's laps. We do it right here in the shop once a month," Esther said.
Each month, participants will learn how to make a three-course meal and have fun doing it.
"It's an appetizer, entrée and dessert made with the products I have here in the shop. For dessert, I can do affogato, I have gelato," Esther said. "You can make a gelato sandwich with a brioche bun. There's a lot of things to do and create. We've made pies and tortas, we've melted down chocolate. It usually starts at 6pm to about 8:30pm. Then you get a 20 percent discount for shopping later. Plus, you can BYOB and have a cocktail too."
The cooking demos work a bit differently. They are on Saturdays and Sundays around noon while the store is open for business and are free to join.
"I'll pull a pasta that many aren't aware of, like the lemon pasta. I'll do it with beans, because typically people don't know pasta and legumes," said Esther. "You can put lentils in pasta, too. My grandmother and mother used to make it all the time; you put a little pancetta in with it, sauté up your pancetta. It's simple, easy and good for you."
If you're looking to live it up internationally, jump on one of Esther's annual trips to Italy. Each hosted trip is a foodie paradise with awesome locations and activities on the itineraries. There's limited availability on a tour in September 2025. Call Casale's for more information
There's always something to fall in love with at Casale's. Stop in today and help Esther keep the tradition of Italian cooking alive. "I love Italy," said Esther. "It's where my roots are.”
