Family photos on the walls, fresh-baked goods in the display case, and a warm, sincere welcome as you walk in — all of these things make up Bellas Cafe on Main Street. Located in the heart of downtown Superior, Bellas has been under the direction of owner Nancy Marie Giordano for the past four years.
Bellas is undergoing some exciting changes, with new items being added to the menu and the patio being renovated into a creative, inviting space. Giordano said the patio will have a Southwestern-Mexican vibe, with a little bit of a different menu, and a different type of music. This reservation-only patio space will open in August and feature five dishes, along with desserts offered in collaboration with a local baker.
The new menu choices are aiming more toward New York-style sandwiches, which Giordano is looking forward to. She grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, where she says, “I came from a line of really fantastic cooks.”
Even though she can cook many things, “Italian is where my heart lives,” she says.
But Giordano wasn’t always a professional cook. Her livelihood back east was as a professional singer. She said she sang “everything” starting at a young age, and that music runs in her blood. Her son William James has a band “Sleeper Signal” that just recorded an album in Nashville, and her daughter in Boston is also a musician.
“I sing behind the line and people have told me they enjoy it,” Giordano said.
When Giordano first opened Bellas, it was in a different location.
“There was a vibe there that people really enjoyed,” so she was worried about changing locations, she said.
But a bigger space was offered to her, so she took the leap and went all in. She said this location is retro and has an old-school style, warmed up with her family photos on the walls.
Giordano said her current endeavor is “definitely meeting my vision,” and that she is proud that it’s entirely family-run.
Giordano cooks every meal that leaves the kitchen. Her son is the server, her husband helps out behind the bar and as a dishwasher on weekends, and her daughter will be coming out to Superior in September to help cook. She said they do employ a dishwasher who helps out during the week.
Bellas also features a full bar and is working on drink specials. Everything is made to order, and, while it can be hard, Giordano said she has pushed out 300 meals in a day, which earned her a standing ovation from the dining room.
“Every meal that comes out is with love and care that goes into every plate.”
She also prides herself in clean bathrooms, which she believes to be very important.
The road from the east to Arizona wasn’t an easy one. During the COVID pandemic, Giordano said she was living in Connecticut. She lost her mother and, after that, decided to make the move to Arizona. She said they found a realtor, made the plans, and were also bringing her father, who had turned 100.
“He always wanted to go to Arizona,” she said.
They made plans to fly him over while they made the drive, until she received a call that they had lost him on the day they closed on the sale of their house. She believes it all happened the way it was meant.
Giordano attributes everything to her mother. She said it was “divine alignment,” and her mother guided the whole trip for her.
She added that one of her favorite sayings is, “We make plans and God laughs.”
Another endeavor that is close to Giordano’s heart is recording the history of Superior through the eyes of the locals. She started looking into the history of the building and said, “I’m the type of person who will look at a tree and say, ‘I wonder how many people sat under that tree.’”
She’s been talking to local residents, getting their stories, and said she’s hoping she can put “something beautiful” out there.
“Stories of people’s Tata’s that their children will be able to read,” is what she hopes to put into a book. She said, “Even looking at the old photos of Superior, it was so vibrant. People losing their culture saddens me.”
Giordano and her family have truly made a home in Arizona and are working at making the most of their space.
“We call the restaurant our house, and we welcome everyone to our house.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here