SWAMPSCOTT — Maria Torres welcomed customers to the grand opening of Maria’s Gourmet Cafe on Sunday, expanding her family-run business with a new location attached to the Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts.

The Sept. 13 celebration included face painting and balloon animals, while visitors sampled food and drinks from the cafe’s menu. Torres said the event drew a strong crowd before rain slowed business later in the day.

“They are very, very happy just to know that we’re here,” Torres said. She said customers have responded well to the cafe’s accessibility, parking, and menu, especially its muffins.

The business held an unannounced soft opening the previous weekend, when the staff opened its doors to people passing by. That trial run allowed employees to begin serving customers before Sunday’s grand opening.

The Swampscott cafe is part of a broader period of growth for Maria’s Gourmet, located in Marblehead.

Torres said several projects had been in development for months, including the purchase and opening of the Driftwood restaurant in Marblehead over the summer.

She said the expansion has depended on a team that includes longtime employees and members of her family.

“I’m able to do everything I do because of my team,” Torres said. “It takes a village to do everything we’re doing.”

Her daughter, Emily Figueroa, manages the cafe and designed its interior. Figueroa, who has worked with her mother throughout her life, said the Swampscott location gave her an opportunity to contribute her own ideas to the family business.

“What you see here is kind of like the actual offspring of Maria’s Gourmet,” Figueroa said. “It’s just our way of branching out.”

Figueroa said she currently fills several roles depending on what the cafe needs. As the business develops, she plans to focus on managing its daily operations.

Torres and Figueroa envisioned the location as an elevated, European-style cafe where customers could remain after ordering. They said they wanted to provide a comfortable setting for people to talk and take a break from their phones.

“Everything is about social media and being on the web, but here we just want a place for people to come and interact offline,” Torres said.

The menu includes breakfast and lunch sandwiches, which are served on buttered croissants unless customers request another bread. Gluten-free options are available.

The cafe also has a full espresso bar serving drinks including macchiatos and lattes. Customers can order tea, refreshers, and fresh-fruit smoothies, along with familiar coffee-shop offerings and several specialty items.

The cafe, located at 149 Humphrey St, is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The business is family- and dog-friendly. Its mascot is George, Torres and Figueroa’s 9-year-old miniature golden retriever, who was rescued from Puerto Rico when he was 5 months old.

George can often be found greeting customers at the cafe, and because of his hard work and dedication, he has already received one of the cafe’s first distinctions: employee of the month.

The post Maria’s Gourmet Cafe opens in Swampscott appeared first on Itemlive.

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