Email
Print
Sisters bring taste of home to Troutman cafe
Bruce Matlock
Owners Maria Vaughan (left) and Linda Scafidi opened their own little piece of Connecticut with Bella’s Cafe & Ice Cream on Main Street.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: August 21, 2008
Sisters Linda Scafidi and Maria Vaughan are still getting used to waking up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare breakfast.
Even though the owners of Bella's Cafe & Ice Cream on Main Street are new to the area, they believe they've found their niche running the small bakery and coffee shop.
"When we were working on the place, I had to make sure I ate before I left home," Scafidi said. "There is no place to get a fresh bagel. We thought it would be a great area to have one. It makes the town more appealing."
During their first week, Scafidi noticed people came in more for the ice cream than anything else.
She can't wait until people start to realize the other items they have for sale, such as muffins, smoothies, hard rolls and croissants.
"Where I come from, cafes are coffee houses," the Connecticut native said. "So that was weird to me. I'm still adjusting to Southern living."
In order to reach out to people's pallets, Scafidi and Vaughan added salads and sandwiches to their menu, which also boasts baked goods like New York cheesecakes and fresh French bread.
The two sisters aren't strangers to running a bakery. Their father, Benito Scafidi, ran a bakery for years.
In order to open the Main Street cafe, they coaxed him out of retirement.
Scafidi said their father wakes up before everyone in order to bake fresh bread for the morning crowd.
She is hoping the breakfast business will pick up soon, especially with school starting next week.
They named the store Bella's in honor of their Italian heritage.
The whole family immerses itself into the business, Scafidi said.
Their cousins, Giovanni and Salvatore Pellegrino, who run Pellegrino's Trattoria and their sister-in-law, Dr. Yvette Pellegrino, are all in the same shopping center.
"That's awesome. The more the merrier," Salvatore said. "It's nice we are spread over here in this little mall. It's good for the family. We can support each other because it's so close."
He said they try to drop in the cafe whenever they can.
Giovanni said he thinks it helps promote everyone's business and allows them to spend more time together.
As long as everyone is doing well, it is a win-win situation, he said.
When customers come in and ask about the business, the two brothers try to give them as much information as they can.
Scafidi, a former mortgage broker, said she always wanted to run her own breakfast place or a deli.
"I've always wanted to have a 'Friends' type setup," she said. "Maybe a few couches."
Vaughan, who was a homemaker prior to joining her sister in this venture, said they really like being their own bosses.
"Every day it's getting better and better," Scafidi said.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
