A new restaurant has taken over the space at 1029 State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, and it’s keeping the iconic name of the building’s first eatery, The Copper Coffee Pot.
Now called The Copper, the Italian restaurant is owned by 27-year-old Rish Rozera. As the tiled sign outside notes, the site — a city landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places — has been occupied since 1857, when it was an adobe house. In 1927, the Copper Coffee Pot opened and operated in that space until 1985. Numerous restaurants have since cycled through the address, including Aldo’s (which held the space for 25 years), Embermill from 2019 to 2021, and most recently L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, which was there for three years before Rozera entered the scene.
When I stopped by one recent Wednesday afternoon, Rozera was doing it all: hosting, bussing, and waiting tables, often pausing mid-sentence to tend to diners. The hectic environment is nothing new to him, he says. His first job was at a busy Domino’s in New York City, where he learned to “work in a fast-paced environment.” Later, he would help at his family’s Santa Barbara Indian restaurant, Flavor of India, gaining hands-on management experience.
Before committing to the restaurant business, Rozera tried several other career paths that didn’t pan out, including opportunities in the entertainment industry, the U.S. military, and policing. He then advanced through the hiring process for the California Highway Patrol, but when the chance to take over the restaurant came up, he knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Before opening The Copper restaurant, Rozera completed minor renovations, brightening the space by painting over its formerly black walls. Photos of the original Copper Coffee Pot now line the restaurant’s back wall, paying homage to the building’s history. He even kept the Copper Coffee Pot sign at the entrance, though he clarifies that his restaurant is simply “The Copper” these days.
Learning about the building’s history was important to him, and he hopes his restaurant keeps that legacy alive. “The copper coffee pot name brings back a lot of memories to the people,” he shares, “which is great.”
When Rozera assumed ownership, he also purchased the rights to L’Antica’s recipes, which include the pizzas featured in Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love. It was important to him to continue importing ingredients from Italy: cheese, flour, olive oil, and tomatoes. At The Copper, pastas are handmade daily, and pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired oven. Rozera graciously let me taste his favorite pizza on the menu, the Caseta: Double Fior di Latte, Rapini, Italian Sausage, Garlic, Pecorino, Basil, Smoked Provolone, and Calabrian Chili — absolutely divine.
Rozera is excited for what the future holds and is dedicated to being a present, hands-on owner. By bringing his own work ethic and physical presence, he hopes to succeed where previous operators struggled, while preserving a high-quality Italian concept in a well-established location.
“Everything was there,” he reflects of the space, “it was just a matter of how you assemble.”
The Copper, 1029 State Street. See thecoppersb.com.
