New Broadway musical-inspired Asheville cafe opens, hits high notes with Asheville diners
ASHEVILLE - A new eatery with a Broadway-inspired name giving “a touch of Mediterranean love” to customers is now open downtown.
On June 10, Mamma Mia! Café opened at 46 Haywood St., Suite 11 in the Haywood Park Building's atrium.
Mamma Mia! Café offers breakfast, lunch and snacks, including fresh, handmade baked goods like traditional Mediterranean pastries, sandwiches, coffee and fresh fruit smoothies that may be enjoyed immediately or packaged to-go.
“I wanted to offer a place where people could relax but also eat healthy,” said owner Stephen Herrington.
Mamma Mia! Café’s menu
Herrington’s family recipes and the Broadway show, “Mamma Mia!” inspired the entrepreneur to leave the corporate world and open the café.
Herrington said he loves the Abba-inspired musical and attended the live production nearly 15 times while living in New York and another three times while living in Charlotte.
Herrington said the recipes have been in his family for many years and represent many regions.
Herrington, who’s originally from Venezuela, said the family on his father’s side is from Spain and his mother’s side is from France.
“In Venezuela, we also have a big influence of Greek cuisine, Portuguese and from the Middle East,” he said. “We have a lot of immigrants from those areas, so I grew up eating a fusion of all of that.”
The display case is stocked with goodies like Profiterole, croissants with savory fillings, blueberry cake and cream cheese danishes made with fresh ingredients and no preservatives. Mango and coconut rice puddings are offered, too.
The baked goods are prepared in a commercial kitchen and transported to the café daily. Items may be served warm – he said the café uses an oven instead of a microwave to reheat the pastries to preserve the quality so it may take a few extra minutes.
Sandwich options include the Little Venice, made with steak and American cheese served on warm, fresh bread. It costs $6.95.
The Mediterranean Veggies, a vegetarian option, is made with gouda and Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo, ketchup and mustard served on hot-pressed fresh bread, sold for $10.99.
The lasagna for two costs $17.95.
Mamma Mia! Café’s beverage program features hot and iced teas, milkshakes, fresh fruit smoothies and soft drinks.
Herrington takes pride in the coffee menu, which includes coffee and espresso drinks made using beans sourced from Italy and Spain, though he’s keeping the suppliers’ names under wraps.
A café revival
Nearly 20 years ago, Herrington said he owned a Latin fusion restaurant in Miami before moving to New York, then Charlotte.
He said he was ready to return to a restaurant setting after eight years working in the corporate healthcare industry in supply chain management, including through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The remote work allowed him to move from Charlotte to Asheville in 2021.
Last year, Herrington created a café concept, decided on a business name and searched for the ideal intimate locale in the Haywood Park Building.
“When I saw this space, it was completely empty. I told the landlord, ‘I have an idea to bring life to this beautiful place,” Herrington said.
He transformed the former nail salon by adding a small kitchen and service counter area.
Murals of Greece and landscapes of other Mediterranean towns and themed accents are on the wall.
The café’s tucked-away lounge is styled like a living room with cozy armchairs, lamps and wall art.
Outside the café, he spruced up the atrium with Mediterranean-style café chairs, tables, lantern lights, plants and welcome banners. Existing design elements and the overhead windows drawing in natural light help brighten the space.
Herrington said he’s received many comments from tenants of neighboring businesses and customers complimenting the revitalization.
The commercial building houses offices, service businesses and retailers, like Nirvana Hair Studio and Mountain Radiance Medical Spa, and connects to the Haywood Park Hotel, Isa’s Bistro and The Bier Garden.
Mamma Mia! Café, which has four employees, is inside the building and doesn’t have a street-facing entry. The main door is in between The Chocolate Fetish and Charmed Boutique.
Herrington said tenants were limited on dining options and requested the landlord provide a place where they could grab food quickly but not be a fast-food restaurant. Hotel guests sought a nearby place for coffee and breakfast in the morning.
Herrington said he aims for Mamma Mia! Café to provide a relaxing environment, good coffee and fun times for guests.
“My goal is to have them happy and satisfied,” he said. “When they’re here, they can relax or dance if they want to. They can enjoy their time. … If you want to dance to a 'Mamma Mia!' song, you can dance here.”
Mamma Mia! Café
Where: 46 Haywood St., Suite 11
Hours: Mamma Mia! Café’s current hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday. Herrington plans to extend weekend hours.
Info: The website and social media pages are to come. For more, visit Mamma Mia! Café on Google Maps.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Mamma Mia! Cafe with Mediterranean-inspired baked goods, meals
