In an age when even sit-down restaurant food is manufactured on automated assembly lines, at least one restaurant remains committed to carrying on its food traditions. House recipe tomato sauce simmered for six hours and hand-tossed pizza dough made fresh daily and baked on a brick hearth are hallmarks of Casa Mia’s fine craft. In business since 1952, Casa Mia was started in Hoquiam by an Italian-American as one of Washington’s first true Italian restaurants.

Tri-Cities’ first location opened in 1994 in Kennewick. General manager Raymond Maldonado said he and his staff take pride in being consistent and building everything from scratch, which he said makes food more authentic. “We’re always trying to be creative in the kitchen and try something new,” he added. He cited Casa Mia’s chicken three cheese pizza as a customer favorite, as well as their Caesar salad and Roquefort mild bleu cheese dressing.