A beloved local seafood establishment will soon find itself in the national spotlight as “America’s Best Restaurants” brings its traveling roadshow to a restaurant that has been serving the community for more than two decades.
Rosy’s at the Beach, a fixture in downtown Morgan Hill since 1998, hosted the “America’s Best Restaurants” film crew May 7 for a segment highlighting the restaurant’s most popular dishes and sharing its unique story with viewers across the country.
“We’re so excited,” said co-owner Pam Novak, who took over the restaurant with partner Vanessa Bermudez in 2023. “This is definitely something out of our comfort zone, to sit and be recorded, but it is so worth it. If the restaurant, the staff, the chefs, the food, everybody has made the effort, let’s do this.”
The beach-themed restaurant was selected from a limited number of establishments along ABR’s cross-country filming route based on customer reviews, menu offerings, social media presence and community involvement.
“They only pick a certain number of restaurants in the trail that they are driving,” Novak said. “We feel really special and lucky.”
For Bermudez, the recognition vlidates their dedication to maintaining the restaurant’s high standards.
“I think it is a big deal,” she said. “They go everywhere, in every state, and pick the best restaurants. The community actually picked the restaurant, and they interviewed us, and decided that they wanted to go ahead with us.”
The cozy, beach-themed establishment has earned a reputation for its seafood specialties and warm atmosphere. Rosy Bergin, who owned and operated the restaurant for 25 years alongside husband Rich before selling it to Novak and Bermudez, expressed pride in seeing their legacy continued and now recognized nationally.
“So happy and so proud,” Rosy Bergin said, visibly moved to tears. “I’m not familiar with the show, but we were really excited when they [Novak and Bermudez] called and said that they had this happening, and we’re really proud of them. They’re hard workers. I think they have done an excellent job.”
Rich Bergin expressed admiration for how the new owners have adapted to the restaurant business despite their unrelated backgrounds.
“With no restaurant experience at all, this is one of the best that I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I was in the wholesale fish business for years, and we saw a lot of restaurants come and go. They’re good businesspeople; they’ve done a great job.”
The transition to restaurant ownership has been challenging but rewarding for Novak and Bermudez, who previously worked in real estate and design.
“We came from a real estate design business, and the stress that we went through there is so very different,” Novak said. “Everybody here is happy. They’re having a nice cocktail or having a dinner. The vibes are completely different.”
The new owners acknowledge they faced initial trepidation about making changes to a beloved community institution.
“At first we were very afraid of making any changes, because we would come in before anybody knew who we were just to listen to what people were saying, and we would hear, ‘No, no, no changes,’” Novak recalled. “So making any change, we really take into consideration what people are going to think. Are they going to like this or not?”
The past two years under new ownership have been successful despite the inherent challenges of the restaurant industry.
“The last two years have been great,” Bermudez said. “Everybody has challenges, but we learn every single day something new, and everything has been flowing amazingly. The staff has been here for a long time, so that has been very helpful for us. Honestly, it has been really good.”
General Manager Anna Pelaiz describes the establishment as “the ‘Cheers’ of Morgan Hill,” where regular customers are known by name and return daily.
“We have people that come to our restaurant, our bar, every day. They not only love the food, they love the staff. We’ve gotten to know everybody by name,” Pelaiz said in a press release.
The restaurant offers a full bar, outdoor patio and an extensive menu featuring not only seafood but also appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, entrees and desserts. Rosy’s at the Beach was previously named Best Seafood Restaurant in the Morgan Hill Times’ 2021 Best of Morgan Hill awards.
“America’s Best Restaurants,” headquartered in Florence, Kentucky, has filmed more than 2,000 episodes featuring independent restaurants across the country. The media and marketing company travels nationwide to highlight unique food and share the stories of locally owned restaurants.
The completed episode featuring Rosy’s at the Beach will air on America’s Best Restaurants’ social media channels and website, with the premiere date to be announced on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.
