David Kilby, Managing Editor
CRANBURY — Pete Adamo, owner of Molto Bene Caffe e Mercato Italiano, has moved his business into the former Hot Wok building on North Main Street after being flooded out by Hurricane Irene in Hightstown.
He’s been busy moving into his new location at 57 N. Main St. for about a month and a half and plans to open next week.
The caffe can fit about 50 customers and has five employees on staff.
The hours will be Tuesday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The full coffee bar will offer cappuccino, lattes and affogatos, which are gelatos with a shot of espresso. In addition, about 12 flavors of coffee will be sold.
There also will be homemade desserts like white chocolate cheesecake and tiramisu, live entertainment Fridays or Saturdays and free wireless Internet.
”We used to do a lot of events in Hightstown so it’s something we’re accustomed to, but haven’t really planned yet,” Mr. Adamo said, adding he plans to coordinate with Teddy’s restaurant so they don’t have competing entertainment nights.
The new Molto Bene is about 1,300 square feet and has 400 square feet of storage space, which is more storage space than the caffe had in Hightstown. Mr. Adamo said he is looking to expand his menu to include entrees and cicchettis or small meals since he now has more storage room. Between 15 and 20 meals will be offered in the cicchetti bar.
He emphasized Molto Bene is a caffe, which means a small cafeteria in Italian, not just a place to get coffee.
”It’s a caffe with good coffee and good food,” Mr. Adamo said. “It’s very casual. We want people to feel comfortable when they come here.”
Molto Bene started in Hightstown in January 2010 so when Mr. Adamo was looking to relocate he wanted to stay in the area.
”We wanted to stay close to where we were to keep our customer base,” he said, adding it’s also fortunate Cranbury provides a somewhat similar environment to Hightstown.
”It’s another small town,” he said. “I feel everyone knows each other. We try to keep close with family and friends.”
He explained how badly Hurricane Irene damaged the old Molto Bene.
”Water was coming in faster than we could pump it out. Then the window broke, and a steady stream of water started coming in,” he said, adding the floodwaters were as high as 5 feet at one point, and by the time the water subsided, everything in the store was piled up.
He said he thinks the new Molto Bene is far enough away from Brainerd Lake to avoid the same fate.
Mr. Adamo received approval for the Molto Bene site plan from the Cranbury Preservation Commission and the zoning board.
”I’ve been through the application process before so I knew what needed to get done and what they’re looking for as far as health and safety codes,” he said.
He got the idea for starting a caffe after visiting Sicily in 2009.
”The Sicilian style is what drew us,” he said. “We just fell in love with the style. It’s just such a welcoming atmosphere. We really didn’t give it much thought. We just found a spot. We wanted to bring some of Italy back to New Jersey.”
Mr. Adamo owns Molto Bene in partnership with his wife, Veleria Martinez Adamo. His father, Peter, who was born in Sicily, also works at the caffe.
Mr. Adamo has lived in East Windsor for eight years. He entered the restaurant business by opening up a small restaurant, Biestro Adamo in Chadam, which only lasted a few years.
He studied at the Culinary Education Center of Monmouth County at Brookdale Community College and worked in a kitchen in Chambery, France for three months for an “externship,” he said.
Molto Bene’s five employees will not be working at the same time, and there is a public parking lot in the back of the caffe for customers. There are also three spaces in front of the caffe.
Mr. Adamo said the parking situation is better than it was in Hightstown because in the old location, customers had to cross the street to get to the caffe.
He said he is looking to expand the catering menu as well to increase customers even more.
”We’re very excited to be here,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. What happened in Hightstown may be a blessing in disguise.”
