LIFeSTYLE - Living Italian Food e Style
They understand the vision. They know what’s going on. They know me and they understand what we’re doing here, and that’s been working through the years.
People
“People want to have an experience, not just good food,” says Stefano Ferrari. That’s why LIFeSTYLE Italian has seen its four-course dinners sell out so often: Diners sit by strangers, share the evening’s offerings and their stories, and leave as friends. It’s a tradition Stefano and his brother, Davide, carried from their hometown of Magenta, Italy, to Bedford. When the space next door became available, the brothers saw a chance to offer that experience to more people. The only hurdle was the cost of punching doors between two buildings and converting a candy store into trattoria decor.
Progress
Stefano has lost track of the number of times he has called on The Progress Fund over 17 years of growth at Lifestyle Italian. This time The Progress Fund loaned $96,795 to help Stefano join the two spaces and remodel.
Impact
The Ferrari brothers are expanding their retail offerings of Italian food and pottery, plus adding gelato to draw more walk-in business. They are also partnering with a winery and a brewery, both in Pennsylvania, to quench the thirsts of the many visitors who make the half-day drive from cities including D.C. and New York. With that, Bedford becomes even more of a draw for — as Stefano puts is — “people who like to travel and have experiences, and enjoy great Italian food.”
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