In the midst of a severe economic downturn, a former flight attendant realised a long-held dream on Wednesday when she opened a new cafe on Beach Road in Vaisigano.

Alofa Loefkvist is a former flight attendant, who last took to the skies more than two years ago, is the new co-owner of the new Mamma Mia Café. It is in the spot formerly known as the Coffee Bean Café.

When the Samoa Observer visited on Wednesday morning after its official opening, the café was already filled with customers ordering breakfast.

She said on her opening day that she had big plans for the new café and restaurant space. 

“Mamma Mia means my mother in Italian,” she said.

“I and my partner Michelangelo Leota have partnered with Italian couple Isabella Scaroni and her husband who is also the head chef at Mamma Mia, David Scaroni, and their son Daniele Scaroni.

“The couple used to run the Coffee Bean Café, but we (Alofa and her partner) decided to join them in this new venture because they were looking for new partners and wanted to change the café and include other international dishes in the menu, not just Italian food. So we decided to give it a try and see how it goes.”

The chef and co-owner of the café, David Scaroni, stated that the food he creates is a mixture of Italian, Samoan and International influences.

“For breakfast and lunch we’ll have an International style menu, for example we’ll have English-style breakfast or maybe curries and soups,” he said.

“But for the dinner menu, we’ll mostly serve Italian dishes such as risotto, pasta, fettuccini, and other well-known Italian recipes."

There are currently six people employed at the café, Ms. Loefkvist said. 

“There is one employee who’s been with us for a while now, Tino Ulugia, who does the coffee and is our barista together with Daniele who also works as a waiter at the café,” she said.

“David works in the kitchen and is assisted by Henry, and we also have 2 more people who work in the kitchen, one as a kitchen hand and the other as a dishwasher and cleaner.”

She added that they also serve vegetarian and vegan dishes for customers who do not consume meat, and that they will also add in a buffet-style breakfast on Saturdays

“We can also provide non-meat dishes and options for those who are vegetarians or vegans. Other than that there will also be Samoan-style dishes included,” she said.

Ms. Loefkvist says she always wanted to work in the food and hospitality industry because her father used to own hotels and worked in the tourism industry.

“My father is my inspiration and is the reason why I decided together with my partner to join David and Isabella in opening this new venture,” she said.