Q: Do you know La Santa is now Kandela located at Tarpon Bay Naples? Have you written an article on the new Kandela yet? Sounds unusual to just change the name for no other reason. New owners? New management? New menus? Did the previous name belong to another company? —J.S., Naples

A: La Santa Tacos & Tequilas in North Naples was forced to change its name by another user of the La Santa name, said co-owner Pedro Aguirre.

“No big deal. It’s just a name,” Aguirre messaged, noting that La Santa is now Kandela Tacos & Tequilas.

“La Santa has been reborn with a new name. Welcome to Kandela! Same great food, same great vibes, just a new name to spice things up,” the restaurant posted on its social media. “La Santa Tacos & Tequilas in North Naples evolved this summer by introducing a new name after much thought and inspiration.”

It wasn’t exactly a lightbulb moment, though; it was more like an illuminating flame. Kandela is Spanish for candle.

“The name reflects our passion for creating a vibrant, warm and unforgettable atmosphere much like the glow of a candle that lights up a room. Kandela represents our fiery dedication to exceptional Latin and Mexican cuisine and hospitality,” the restaurant posted on its social media.

Although Kandela’s social media, menus and employees’ shirts reflect the name change, the exterior signage still has La Santa.

A search for “La Santa” in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s database shows a registered trademark for La Santa Taqueria by Chef Omi, a food truck that became a restaurant in Miami by Omar Montero, that was filed in April 2019 and registered in January 2021. The database also shows an active-issued trademark for La Santa Modern Mexican in Raleigh, North Carolina. The restaurant and bar filed its trademark application in May 2021 and was registered in August 2023.

La Santa, Spanish for “The Saint,” clearly is a popular name. La Santa Mexican Food & Drink is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and La Santa Mexican Cuisine is in Washington state; La Santa Tacos & Bar also reportedly is coming to Atlanta.

In late 2021, La Santa moved into the 4,796-square-foot space where Fuzzy’s Taco Shop closed in March 2020 after operating for more than three years in the retail center anchored by SuperTarget on Immokalee Road just east of Interstate 75 in North Naples.

Aguirre’s original location of La Santa Tacos & Tequilas in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, can remain operating with the La Santa name because it’s grandfathered, he said. That initial upscale, casual dining concept opened in 2018.

More pizza

Another pizzeria is opening nearby in early November in Piper’s Crossing, where Airport-Pulling Road ends at Immokalee Road in North Naples.

Rosati’s Pizza will be the third pizzeria at 1201 Piper Blvd., Suite 17. The longtime restaurant space also formerly was home to Pizzata Pizzeria + Apertivo and Mangino’s Pizza Bar. Pizzata closed this summer after replacing Mangino’s in 2022.

Paul Miller and his son, Paul Jr., who are from Chicago but have lived in Naples for a decade, are the owners of the new local franchise for Rosati’s. It will be the second location for Rosati’s in Naples. The other has operated at 818 Neapolitan Way since May 2015.

The Millers always enjoyed Rosati’s when in Chicagoland. “My son just had a graduation party [this spring] and we got Rosati’s from the one on Neapolitan,” he said. “We miss that Chicago-style pizza and beefs and everything that we can’t get here easily.”

Although Chi-town is best known for its deep-dish pizza, Miller likes Chicago thin-crust pies the best. Rosati’s has both, of course.

“The one called the Windy City is my favorite one,” he said.

The Windy City Pizza, a thin-crust specialty pizza, features gourmet Italian sausage, fresh garlic, onion and Rosati’s hot giardiniera, a medley of chopped vegetables pickled in vinegar and marinated in olive oil.

In addition to pizza, Rosati’s menu features pasta, calzones, sandwiches, wings, appetizers and salads. Specialties include bite-sized pizza dough nuggets in garlic sauce; and the Cheef, an Italian beef on Italian bread with mozzarella cheese melted on top. Desserts include cannolis, tiramisu and zeppoli, bite-sized pieces of crispy dough tossed in powdered sugar and paired with Nutella hazelnut spread.

The pizzeria chain, which began in a Chicago suburb in 1964, celebrated its 60th anniversary this fall. What started as a family pizza shop in Mount Prospect grew into a national chain with 225 restaurants in a dozen states. About 35 are owned still by the Rosati family.

Although previous pizzerias have closed at the Piper’s Crossing location, Miller believes the national franchise can succeed there. “Rosati’s has over 200 locations. The support behind it is huge,” he said.

After his first two offers weren’t successful, the third time was a charm for Miller, who bought the previous business through an asset sale and assumed the lease. He has a five-year lease with a five-year option to renew, he said.

The Millers started the interior demolition of the space in June. “Just front-of-house changes. We’re putting up a couple of walls, new floor, just moving some things around,” he said.

In addition to walling off the open kitchen, the new owners installed a new pizza oven.

Although Miller previously had a vending company, this is his first time owning a restaurant.

“This is actually going to be more about my son than me,” he said. “He just graduated high school, and he wants to just start making money. So, that’s what this venture is about.”

Paul Miller Jr. graduated this spring from Barron Collier High School.

In addition to the Rosati’s locations in Naples and North Naples, the chain has locations at Corkscrew Village in Estero and on Daniels Parkway in south Fort Myers. Two other locations in Lee County recently closed. Rosati’s Pizza Sports Pub permanently closed June 6 after its 10-year lease was not renewed in Shops at Jamaica Bay in south Fort Myers. Rosati’s in Bonita Springs shuttered last year.

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.