‘Restaurant Impossible’ Returning to Bellefonte Eatery

BELLEFONTE — A popular Food Network show is making a return to a downtown Bellefonte pizzeria and Italian restaurant.

Mamma Lucrezia’s will be featured on a ‘Revisited’ episode of ‘Restaurant Impossible,’ airing at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday, host and chef Robert Irvine revealed in social media posts.

The show filmed its return visit to Mamma Lucrezia’s in early March.

The 136 S. Allegheny St. eatery was first featured in 2014 on the show, in which Irvine spends two days and $10,000 to help turn around struggling restaurants.

Irvine’s mission in 2014 was not only to renovate the Mamma Lucrezia’s interior but also mend the strained relationship between owner Maria Albegiani and her sister and co-worker, Stefania.

‘Normally when I go to restaurants, it’s to fix the broken restaurant, the food,’ Irvine said in the preview for Thursday’s episode. ‘In this case the food was pretty amazing. But the family issues far outweighed anything.’

In a Food Network follow up report after the original show aired, Albegiani said the restaurant’s revenues had increased and customers loved the new design, as well as the food.