'This is what I love to do’: Cozy new Italian café to open in Bunnell

This fall, Bunnell residents will have a brand-new brunch spot to brighten their mornings, and it won’t serve your typical eggs and bacon variety.

Zia Maria’s Caffe, located at 2710 E. Moody Blvd., hopes to open shop in September at the former location of Becca’s Sweet Tooth, which closed in May.

For owner and New Jersey native Maria Terranova Royer, opening the new breakfast and lunch spot will not only be an exciting first-time venture, but a deeply meaningful tribute to her late mother and father.

“It’s gonna be close to my heart, because it’s what my parents did,” she said, going on to describe the café world as one she’s long been well-acquainted with.

Royer’s parents, originally from Italy, opened their own café in New Jersey in 1988 when Royer was a young teen. She often helped out at the shop during its busy hours. While at the time she “didn’t like it at all,” Royer said she could never fully separate herself from the industry.

“I’ve had many different jobs, but I just kept going back to the restaurant business,” she said. “… So, that’s when I realized it’s my passion; this is what I love to do, and you need to enjoy going to work.”

After moving to Florida in 2011, Royer spent the next decade working at her now late brother’s pizzeria, Terranova’s — which began in Newark, New Jersey, and has remained in operation for nearly 30 years in Flagler County — before later opening her own home-based printing and design business, Dedicated Duo Designs.

However, Royer always knew when the time was right, she would take the leap of faith and invest in her own café-owning dream.

“I knew I wanted to do something, but I think a restaurant is just too much,” she said. “I thought a café would be perfect, and it's in honor of my parents.”

When Becca’s Sweet Tooth went up for sale in April, it was the opportunity Royer had been waiting for — an ideal location for Zia Maria’s Caffe.

Coffee, gelato and more to come at Zia Maria’s Caffe

Though the menu is still being curated, Royer says she'll have a unique variety of sweet and savory goods for customers to look forward to this fall, including authentic Italian pastries, cookies, cakes, gelato and paninis, alongside several specialty coffee selections and other beverages, like the Manhattan Special espresso soda, limoncello soda and Italian juices.

Royer hopes to make several sweets in house, including her tiramisu and cannoli filling, while also implementing a handful of her mother’s recipes throughout the menu.

“I want to be different … I don’t want to just do eggs and bacon and toast,” she said.

“... Like, I’ll line the inside of a coffee cup with either Nutella or pistachio, do some vanilla ice cream, then I’ll scoop out the middle and do espresso coffee. So, it’s an espresso dessert.”

Croissant boats may also make an appearance, she noted, created by hollowing out the center of the pastry and filling it with ice cream, sweet drizzles and toppings.

Though Royer plans to start serving guests, tentatively, from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m., eventually she hopes to re-open later in the evening, from 6 – 10 p.m., with a modest coffee and dessert menu.

“There’s no places to go like after dinner to hangout, just relax with a little dessert, an ice cream or pastry,” she said. “I want to make it cozy and comfortable,” with plans for sofa seating, warm chandelier lighting, touches of greenery throughout and a fully re-painted interior.

The new café may serve beer and wine later down the line, Royer noted, and will even incorporate small cups, saucers and décor items from her parents’ home in Italy, where they ultimately retired after running their café for more than a decade.

“I still can’t believe I’m doing this, because I’ve always wanted my own (café), but I tried to get away from it a lot. Like, I went to law firms, doctors and retail,” Royer said.

“I really tried to get away from the business, but that’s when I realized, it’s my passion. I love it. and I always tell my kids — because you have to do it for the rest of your life, right? You have to support yourself — try to find something that you love.”

Zia Maria’s Caffe is located at 2710 E. Moody Blvd., Unit B, in Bunnell and hopes to open in September. For updates and information, call 386-263-7009 or visit facebook.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 'This is what I love to do’: Cozy new Italian café to open in Bunnell