Is Casona Haunted?
After a series of misfortunes involving the restaurant, owner Mark Infantado is running out of traditional explanations. Part one of two.
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Mark Infantado is out of explanations for the troubling stretch of bad luck on which he’s been for the past half-decade.
Infantado is neither religious nor superstitious. But since 2005, he has lost both his brother and his best friend to the 103-year-old Haddon Avenue home in which he operates his Cuban restaurant, Casona.
He’s got pins in his ankles from where he shattered them slipping down the back steps. He’s lost the multi-million-dollar construction business he owned for years before renovating the place.
And two weeks ago, his servers heard things moving around on the second floor of the building when nobody else was in the restaurant.
A silhouette in the mirror
Dennyse James is a native of Venezuela who lives in Mantua with Casona manager Denise Pomarici.
One Wednesday evening in June, James was locking up the restaurant. It was about 9 p.m. Everyone else had gone home except for server Diana Castillo of Collingswood.
“I was here sweeping and I saw the shape of a man walk into the bathroom,” James said. The door had been propped open after cleaning.
“As I turned my head, I saw a silhouette in the mirror, and I looked and there was nobody there,” she said.
James says she saw someone “definitely male and very tall, with short hair, [and] dressed in black.”
Earlier in the evening, Castillo thought she’d seen somebody standing by the soda machine who wasn’t there when she looked up.
“I was hoping it was my mind playing tricks on me,” Castillo said.
The two were comparing notes on their encounters, Castillo mopping up the floor at the coffee bar while James played with her phone.
That’s when they heard the chairs start moving around in the upstairs dining room.
“One thing happened after another, and it felt like the minute we noticed things happening was when we heard chairs rustling upstairs,” Castillo said.
James called Pomarici, who told her to get the heck out of there. The two drove straight to Mantua to try to digest what had just happened.
“She came home freaked out,” Pomarici said of James. “She’s not a freaked-out type of person.
“I try to be oblivious to all that stuff,” Castillo said. “I don’t like to believe that it exists [but] whenever I’m cleaning up there I feel like someone’s watching me.”
'We gutted this place on its 100th anniversary'
When asked whether he might have done anything unusual to invoke the alleged spirits, Infantado thought for a minute and said, “We gutted this place on its 100th anniversary.
“Four floors from the basement to the attic,” he said. “I didn’t notice anything weird.”
His partner and best friend, Lawrence Grillo, had a different perspective, however.
Grillo was Casona’s first managing partner. He resided on the third floor of the Colonial Revival home throughout its renovation and after.
“He was a clean-cut guy who came in here, had money, was driving a Mercedes,” said Infantado. “[This was] his third restaurant. If you would have seen before and after pictures, [now] he looks like the walking dead.”
Although the restaurant opened with a bang, Grillo seemed to worsen in the weeks and months that followed, Infantado said. He was always scared; he heard noises, and wouldn’t sleep alone in the building. If nobody would stay with him, Grillo would sleep elsewhere.
The business started to decline as a result, Infantado said, and in 2009, he replaced Grillo with his own brother, John Infantado. He described John, who came up from Florida for the job, as being a “clean-cut kid riding 20 miles on his bike every day.”
A year later, John Infantado committed suicide.
“I’d seen him declining,” Mark Infantado said. “I was getting worried about him, asking what was going on.”
John was replaced by Pomarici. But Mark Infantado had problems of his own. After John died, he lost his multi-million-dollar construction company in 2010, and then shattered his ankle falling down the back steps.
The experiences that James and Castillo had were just icing on the cake.
“It’s been too many years of things going bad,” Mark Infantado said. “I lost my two best friends. Let’s get rid of this. Let’s make it right.”
'We’re here to help'
Absent of any logical explanation for these events, Infantado began to consider the illogical. He eventually connected with the From Dusk Till Dawn Paranormal Investigators.
The group, which operates strictly pro bono, is led by Eric Pensyl of Maple Shade. Its motto, “We’re here to help,” reflects a perspective that, for supernaturalists, is remarkably down-to-earth.
“There’s no experts in this,” Pensyl said. “This is all 100 percent unproven; that’s why we don’t charge.
“You’re taking advantage of somebody’s fear and that’s something you don’t do.”
Nevertheless, Pensyl says he’s had plenty of paranormal encounters, including being pushed, bitten and scratched by things that weren’t fully there.
Which makes him the perfect guy to set up digital recording equipment in Casona and conduct a full investigation, which he did—on Friday the 13th, no less...
Next week: What Pensyl's group discovered.
Future Old Angry Italian Guy
8:59 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Haunted with the worst landscaping I have ever seen!!!!
Mark Infantado
10:39 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
sounds like your a present ANGRY old Italian guy.
C.V.
9:11 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
actually, at least in their early days, they were so poorly managed and i had THE WORST experience planning a small party there because of the above mentioned Lawrence and another staffer. I haven't been back since. I think this is to blame more than any 'ghosts'
Mark Infantado
10:37 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
c.v., Denise and I have been new management for the past 2 years. Come give us another try please..
Denise Lioy Williams Pomarici
4:47 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
@c.v. I have heard so many stories about the past management at Casona. I'm so sorry to read about your bad experience. Mark isn't blaming "poor service" on the ghosts. It is obvious that they just didn't really know how to run the business. He had his life fall apart and with all the sightings, especially the recent ones, all while he is still trying to figure it all out he is thinking that just maybe the 2 men who he was closest to and both of them living upstairs at one point, that just maybe this can be an answer to why they both lost their minds. I hope you can give the new management a chance to prove that Casona is now an amazing place. Thank you so much and also thank you for the feedback.
Denise
9:59 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
That house used to be my family Doctors office. He was a tall thin man. Of course he always had a white coat on not black.
Kristina Betia
11:06 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
We were there for my Mother's birthday dinner this past June. The food was amazing and the ambiance was warm and inviting. Our server was excellent. Although some very unfortunate occurrences have taken place there, I feel that the restaurant is perfect. The idea of the paranormal activity makes Casona even more appealing to me. Thanks!
Mark Infantado
11:12 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Thank you Kristina, this comment is very comforting after all I've been through.
Shanemichael
11:21 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Wow! With the exceptions of the losses, (sorry), it all sounds exciting! We had our Holiday party there last year. I wish I'd known this tasty tidbit then, however I was immediately drawn to the upstairs dining area and the billiards room...
Mark Infantado
2:34 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thanks Shanemichael!
KAREN LORENZ
12:47 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
I am the owner of Canvas Mixers (across the street) and we've heard nothing but rave reviews about Casona. We've only been open since November, we weren't around for the previous management, but we're looking forward to dining at Casona especially with this new added attraction!! Sorry for your troubles . . .
Mark Infantado
2:29 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thanks Karen. I was thinking we could cross market one day. Enjoy apps/dinner at Casona for a special price to your customers and than go over to Canvas mixers. Let me know if you are interested.
Terri Brandel
1:11 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
My husband and I have been to Casona several times and love the food and atmosphere...I'm also told there'a an amazing brunch on Sundays but haven't had the opportunity to try it yet. We also have a ghost in our Collingwood home and after 14 years of weird sightings and feelings, we had a paranormal group come out last fall. Activity was detected but our ghost is friendly and means us no harm. Sometimes 2 or 3 years pass before we see her again. Mark, I hope you're able to get the help you need and your situation improves. Casona is a great asset to the Collingswood restaurant scene!!!
Mark Infantado
2:35 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thank you Terri, it means allot to get positive feedback :)
Robb C. Sewell
2:55 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
My hubby and I have been to Casona many, many times and have had some of our best dining experiences there. The waiters and waitresses have always been top-notch. The food always amazing and delicious. Back in June, Eric and I went with our friends Ray and Rich for brunch. That Sunday morning, I got a message from Mark saying that he was disappointed he wasn't going to be there to meet us. He even made a point of having the waiter share those sentiments with us in person and then even threw in some free desserts for us. We were very touched...and impressed. What amazing service and attention from Mark Infantado and the staff at Casona! Bravo to one and all!
Mark Infantado
2:38 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thank you Robb, It means allot to us to get positive feed back. Want to clean up what my former partner did in the past.
Robb C. Sewell
3:59 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
And, Matt, you're a tease leaving us with this cliffhanger!!
Matt Skoufalos
8:26 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Don't mean to be! Eric's group is still finishing its review of their findings, and I'll be catching up with him soon to report back. Having sat in on the investigation with Mark, his daughter, and the DTD team from 10 pm to 6am July 13-14, I can say at the least that there was plenty to make me think.
Billy
5:03 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Casona's food, service, ambiance AND its landscaping are awesome (obviously they've never smelled the blossom of a magnolia tree!). Not familiar with the breakout years but go get yourself a free cup of cuban coffee and soak it in on the big porch. Although I don't believe in ghosts I guess you could have a little fun with it.
Mark Infantado
2:39 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thanks Billy, I still am not a true believer as of yet.
Serena
6:31 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
My husband and I went to Valentine's Brunch in 2010, and although the food was delicious, the service was blatantly horrible. In addition to not even being given water for fifteen minutes (I had to go back in and ask the hostess to send a waiter out), there wasn't even any t.p. in the ladies room. The hostess also had the nerve to complain to US about how she was "going to have to" wait on us herself and what a bad day she was having. We didn't go back for over two years... until last month. What a difference! The food was still delicious, and the service was wonderful and welcoming. I wish we had known of the troubles two years ago. We might not have waited so long to go back! I am very glad that we did. Thank you and good luck with the spirits.
Mark Infantado
2:40 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Serena, thank you for sharing this with all. Casona is a different place now with denise and I running things.
Daunne Sullivan
8:38 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
My husband & I have been to Casona at least a dozen times over the last few years, and not once have we be disappointed !!! The food is always delicious, and the service, exceptional. I only wish we lived closer to Collingswood. There's no other restaurant like Casona in all of Burlington County ! Very Unique & Original .
Mark Infantado
2:41 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thank you Daunne, you and Kevin are the best :)
debra smith
9:51 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Casona is located next to my salon...TAR...the Aroma from lunch and dinner can be smelled allday in my business. Always great food...always consistent. An asset to Collingswood and a great neighboring business
Mark Infantado
2:41 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thanks Debra, you are the best neighbor we could have. Enjoy the smell! LOL
Lin
11:28 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
I had my daughter's graduation brunch at Casona this past May. We had the top two floors and it was fabulous. Everyone raved about the food and atmosphere. And, we didn't noticed any other guests than the ones who were invited. ;-)
Mark Infantado
2:43 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thank you Lin for the kind words, we did a head count and there was no one there that shouldn't have been..LOL
Kevin
7:18 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Last meal I had there could have made me a ghost, bad seafood. Nothing like ghost sightings to draw in or appeal to a whole new market of people.
Mark Infantado
3:42 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Kevin, There is a time and a place for your negative remarks such as yelp or trip advisor. Taken the death of my brother and the loss of my best friend and making this statement is unacceptable to me. If you would like to visit me in person to discuss your last meal I am available anytime, anywhere. You can call me directly @609-685-6968 and I will introduce you the ghost who prepared your food!!!!!!!!!!!
Kevin Gatto
2:10 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
I also own a business here in Collingswood and last Christmas we used Casona for our Holiday Party. The only reason I would not recommend others use Casona is I am selfish and don't want them to book up before I can schedule this year's party! :)
Being in a service business myself I am extremely picky about customer service. I cannot say enough good things about working with Mark to organize the party (he suggested better options that actually put me under my budget), set us up in that amazing loft space upstairs and we had a blast. Not to mention the food which I pulled rank and took all the leftovers for myself because it was so good. I am still talking about the pulled pork dish to my clients. Our server that evening (I am sorry I forget his name) was amazing and I would steal him away to work in my salon anytime.
I have been to Casona many, many times over the last 5 years. It never disappoints.
Mark Infantado
3:48 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Kevin Gatto, thank you for the kind words! It is comforting to hear this from a prominent business owner as yourself. Verde is a top notch business in Collingswood that I respect. This is the way we operate Casona now and forever. Trying to put the past to bed. You servers name was Colin. I'll be sure to share this with him and the entire staff. I blocked the entire month of December until I hear from you on a date!
Andrea Hollander
6:34 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Mark,
a) we love your restaurant :)
b) as to unhappy spirits... you can open all the windows and smudge every room with a sage stick. You can also smudge yourself and others. The smoke is said to cleanse the aura of people and spirits are said to not enjoy its smell.
Mark Infantado
9:01 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Thanks Andrea! Before we left the restaurant that night we were all saged. I want to wait and see what to see what the paranormal team has to say first.
Elise
11:17 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
Mark runs one of the finest establishments in Collingswood and I thought this prior to knowing this extraordinary circumstances. My husband and I went there for our 5th anniversary and had an amazing meal but also felt like royalty on top of it.
Mark Infantado
1:13 pm on Saturday, July 28, 2012
Thank u Elise! you are royalty :)
Diane Szombathy
8:54 am on Monday, July 30, 2012
My husband and I have had dinner at Casona a few times and it was wonderful every time! We also got to enjoy their delicious Cuban Sandwiches and Empanadas for lunch during the Collingswood Festival and they were out of this world! I have a new friend, who is Cuban, and we're planning to go there for lunch, so she can share her favorites and introduce me to some things I've never tried. I would def recommend Casona! The outside pourch is great and heated, so you can even enjoy being outside in the cooler weather! I'll have to keep an eye out for the added attraction on my next visit! Sooo curious!
Mark Infantado
2:57 pm on Friday, August 3, 2012
Thank you Diane! Hope to see u soon!
Marlene Greenberg
9:31 am on Saturday, August 4, 2012
We've had nothing but positive experiences every time we go to Casona and believe me, it's been many. Hope you make peace with the spirits and if they are actually there, I hope after you make contact you can all live in harmony.
Gary B
8:10 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
We had reservations for a table of four over the weekend, fabulous time, great food! There were a couple of vegan/veggie options on there (wish there could be more! :), ...Looking forward to going back! Casona has the best street/porch seating in Collingswood by far too! Great summer joint for relaxing with great food some wine and friends!
Anne Walters
9:33 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Sat on your porch and had brunch yesterday and it was wonderful. Great service and great food, although I was a little concerned about some bad karma from the ghosts (seriously). Hopefully things will calm down there and you'll have nothing but good luck in the future.
Wende Ann Masciantoni
8:00 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Hey Mark, I was just wondering if you'd heard back from the group that investigated for you yet? I've been waiting patiently to find out the result! :)
Mark Infantado
8:50 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Hi Wende,
Matt should be coming out with part 2 shortly :)
Wende Ann Masciantoni
9:02 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
YEAH!! Looking forward to it!
Jtuck
11:11 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Whatever happened to Lawrence?