Some things cannot be put into words. That feeling when you’re at peace, when you fall in love for the first time, or in this case, when you find a home where you’d least expect it. Isabel Mia, whose mother owns Cafe SoL, shares her experiences through the move of her family’s restaurant, and how everything up to that point has influenced who she is today.
“My parents got divorced when I was three. My mom worked at Tuscany in Mohegan Sun and always tried her best to provide for me with the best experiences. She did this so I could appreciate it when I was older.”
Growing up, Bel flew to Europe at the age of nine. She visited Anne Frank’s house and traveled to Paris. The hotel walls were stone, she tried chocolate croissants, and received an octopus tentacle in exchange for €10. Her mother exposed her to different kinds of food and always encouraged adventure. “…and I would always get in trouble if I were to say, ew”, or “that’s disgusting” because it’s other people’s culture and we’re not supposed to talk about food in that way.” Her mom taught her to be ambitious and show her love and compassion for people. Bel said, “And I feel like a lot of that has definitely transferred into my life now, and it’s something that I really value.” Meeting her, I’ve definitely noticed these details in her personality and have always felt warm and welcomed during any encounters. Her childhood reflects a lot of time spent learning about different foods and cultures, and peaks through in the bright person she is.
Her family is full of strong, radiant women, and each of them has been huge mentors for her. With Bel’s mother and grandmother raising her when she was young, and her sister headed off to college at the American Musical School and Dramatic Arts Academy in New York, she watched the women in her life, amazed by everything before her. Woman after woman, they succeeded and prospered, and did what they needed to get where they wanted to go. Bel strives to keep her bubbly personality afloat for the sake of herself and others. She says she’s had things happen in her lifetime that have dimmed her light, and she really tries to keep the flame lit for her own well-being, and to hopefully spread that light onto other people as well. Bel is passionate about almost anything involving nature, and anyone around her can sense the drive for adventure, her heartlessness, and a need for the outdoors.
The move of Cafe SoL kick started a lot of responsibility for Isabel, and opened up a new chapter for her as far as who she is and where she’s going in the business. “My mom had opened Cafe SoL with her ex-boyfriend at the time, who also worked at Tuscany. They opened it together down the street. It was half of the building that is down there, because the other half was the hair salon. The responsibility was never really mine and I just kind of worked there. And now, you know I’m going to food shows, and my tag says manager. I’m placing orders and I’m much more involved in the business. And this has been my safety net, so it’s without the responsibility that I have now, I felt a little in limbo with my life. Like okay, I can stay at the cafe, but I’m not really growing at the cafe. Now I’m my mom’s partner, so I feel like that is a pivotal event that has recently happened in my life that is changing things, and I think for the better.”
About a year ago, Bel’s mother was approached by their landlord saying that he wanted to demolish the building, and create a space like Sift Bakery, further down the road. The restaurant would be located under offices and apartments, and the rent would increase for Bel’s family. Their landlord at the time was stepping in a little too much, in a way that her mother became very apprehensive. “We had just bought out our old business partner and weren’t really looking for someone else to tell us how to run our business. So at that point our options were to stay in a place that would no longer be all ours, or take a chance and find a new home.”
They thought about Lillians, which was closing right next door to them. They were thinking of going completely out of the area as well, but then the Silver Skate/Past and Present opened up because Past and Present moved out. “There was no kitchen. The walls were not the Candyland colors that they are downstairs. It was hard to step in here and imagine a restaurant.” But Bel’s ambitious, powerful mother changed that. It was extremely terrifying for them in the beginning because there were so many questions about how successful they were going to be, if people were going to follow though it’s on the same street, but just a little up the road.
As time moved forward and people kept coming in and asking questions, and asking how they could be of help, it all started to become a little more real for Bel and her family. Bel says people offered to sign up on an unpaid volunteers sheet and help the restaurant out, and that’s when it began to get a little more exciting. “That’s really what it’s been since before we even moved, just support and excitement. So it’s definitely a positive impact. Because I’m moving up on the ladder at the cafe.”
With whatever the future holds for Bel, her passion, hard work, and dedication to her family’s business is paying off. The cafe is now located at 488 Main St, with the hours of 8AM-3PM. Come in for a bite of their locally sourced foods, take a minute to talk to Bel and her mother, and look around at the place they have created: the heart of our town.
