John Goyak, longtime owner of Casa Orinda, died Sept. 5 at age 79. Known for his humor, generosity and love of travel, Goyak was a beloved fixture in the Orinda community.
In its 94 years, few changes have been made to Casa Orinda. But now, the beloved Orinda restaurant faces its biggest change yet: the passing of its longtime owner, John Goyak.
Goyak, a renowned pillar of the Orinda community, passed away on Sept. 5. Best known for owning the Casa Orinda, he is remembered by family and friends as an authentic, funny and one-of-a-kind member of the community.
Born on Nov. 7, 1946, Goyak was one of two children of Mary and Ivan Goyak. He grew up in El Sobrante and studied around the Bay Area. But it was with the College of the Seven Seas, a study-abroad program on a cruise, that inspired him with a love for travel – one that lasted his entire life.
“He was kind of a free spirit,” said Nancy Baglietto, his niece. “I don’t think there was a country he hadn’t visited. He was super fun to travel [with]. He loved to take people with him and live life to the fullest.”
Of all the places he went to, Hawaii and the high desert captured his heart, so much so that he purchased houses in both locales. But home always remained in Orinda, where his charm and friends seemingly had no end.
“His phone rang all day long,” said Baglietto. “[It] was off the hook! All sorts of people called him.”
Baglietto believed his popularity came from an authenticity that defined his every interaction.
“He showed up,” she said. “When people needed him, he was there. My uncle was the kind of man who liked to have fun and be generous … he had a gift for looking at things from other people’s perspectives.”
Authenticity mattered to Goyak.
To him, what mattered most in meeting people was their ability to be themselves; genuine. Baglietto recalled how, upon meeting somebody new, he would always ask heavy-handed questions to gauge their stance on topics.
“It didn’t matter what the answer was, as long as you took a stand and backed it up,” she said.
It was this penchant for authenticity that spurred the Casa’s famous no-changes attitude – a charm that surprised Claudia Tata, the restaurant’s current manager, when she joined in 2013.
“It was completely different,” said Tata. “It’s old school.”
From handwritten reservations to bookkeeping ledgers, Tata’s first days at the Casa were a deep departure from her experiences with corporate restaurants. But Goyak helped her adjust, all while becoming a friend in the process.
“He was a mentor,” said Tata. “He taught me to go with the flow; to take a deep breath, work for a little bit, and see how things are run. He would say to me: ‘[the staff] know what they’re doing. This place has been around for a long time doing the same thing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’”
As Contra Costa County’s oldest-operating restaurant, the Casa has a legendary reputation – one that Goyak always attributed to its devoted staff.
“He had a heart of gold,” said Tata. “He always told [staff] that they were the reason why the restaurant was successful. He let them know that every time he was here.”
In addition to this, Goyak had a reputation for fun. Tata recalled one instance where he, upon seeing her stationary set housed in a polka-dot box, burst out laughing.
“He thought it was the funniest thing in the world that somebody would get something like that,” she recalled. “For the longest time, he called me ‘Little Dot’ because of that.”
At home, Baglietto recalled an instance from her childhood when Goyak taught her swear words in Hrvatski – a Croatian language spoken by her grandparents – and paid her in candy to say them to her grandmother.
“He had the gift of the gab,” reflected Baglietto. “He would exaggerate things a lot. He was known for that, but it was always to make a point – to be funny, light and captivating. He was one of a kind.”
To Baglietto, his ability for fun was one piece of a bigger desire.
“He really hated delivering bad news … he wanted to be the person that everybody wanted to be around and have fun with. It was something that he had since he was a child,” she said.
Whether it was his love for travel, iconic humor, immense generosity or unforgettable personality, John Goyak succeeded at being somebody people loved, respected and wanted to be with. He was uniquely himself, and in doing so, he left his family, friends and the Orinda community smiling.
Goyak is survived by his niece, Nancy Baglietto, and his great-nephew and great-niece, Ivan Henry and Isabella Grace Baglietto, as well as his loyal canine companion Paco. He was preceded in death by his wife, Charlotte Guppy.
Family, friends and community members gathered at Casa Orinda on Oct. 12 to celebrate Goyak’s life and remember the lasting impact he made on the community.
