June 29, 2026

By Charles Dubow
Photographs by Ryan Lavine

Walk into  West Cornwall’s The Pink House restaurant and it is hard not to notice Marina Muñoz flitting from table to table, chatting with customers, talking to the kitchen, working the room, and generally acting like any good host would at a dinner party. The restaurant’s creative director, general partner and manager, she has lived all over the world, speaks many languages, and has the kind of beauty that is seen in movies
and magazines.

In an age where chef-driven restaurant culture has prevailed for years—think Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, Gordon Ramsey, et. al.—there is still something special about a restaurant with a great host. A host is more than just a maître d’ taking reservations and showing people to their tables. A great host knows how to make every diner feel important—and want to come back. In Litchfield County we are fortunate to already have some pretty terrific hosts, such as James O’Shea at West Street Grill, Jo-Ann Makovitsky at Community Table, and Dino Kolitsas at Greca, and Muñoz possesses such talent in abundance.

“Being a good host is a very Latin thing. We love welcoming people, sharing meals. It’s in my blood,” says Muñoz, who is originally from Buenos Aires. But running a restaurant has also been a steep learning curve for her. “Kitchens are hard. Restaurants are hard. It’s not just about beautiful food and a beautiful room. It is about keeping the lights on, paying people fairly so they can afford to live and work here, buying food, managing waste, building a wine program, handling insurance and liability, and getting through slow weeks, snow days, and all the unexpected problems that come with this industry.”

Before moving to West Cornwall in 2022 Muñoz had no restaurant experience. “I started modeling as a teenager for Ford, and then worked as a fashion consultant and stylist with such clients as Vogue and Tiffany.” It was while renovating her home in the area that she was featured in HBO’s “For the Love of Kitchens”. She then connected with The West Cornwall Development Group, which offered her a chance to open a general store in town. “But then I pivoted again from retail to food,” she says. “And it’s such fun getting different groups together, throwing a nightly party. That’s when you get the real magic. So much of what I want is to bring more people to this beautiful town.”

To that end, she has worked with organizations such as the Cornwall Library and local artists and musicians to offer

The Pink House as a place where the community can gather. “We are a place where everyone is welcome,” she says. “Snowboarders in winter, fishermen in summer, families, weekenders. We have books and chessboards and even pink chalk for children to draw with. Come in for a cocktail, a cup of Oolong, or a meal.”

For a few months in late 2025 the restaurant had to temporarily close and Muñoz and her business partner, lawyer David Ellen, strove to reopen. “I am incredibly grateful,” she says. “Other restaurant owners, hospitality friends, and people in the community have reached out and helped me through some very hard moments. That has reminded me why I want to be here and why The Pink House matters. I believe in this place, I believe in this community, and I am going to keep fighting for it. My hope is that The Pink House will be here for years and years as a place where people come together, share meals, work hard, feel cared for, and make memories.” thepinkhousect.com