Pellegatta's Eatery survives first winter

A few weeks ago, manager Ted Pellegatta renewed the lease for his space on Main Street. He is now looking forward to times of plenty, when tourists will stream in with the summer warmth and buy the muffins, cookies and breads lined up in his display cases.

"January is traditionally a disaster as well as half or more than half of February," Pellegatta said.

He said he has already seen business pick up.

"We're back pretty strong...," he said.

For many businesses in Rappahannock, winter can be tough. Fewer tourists come out to hike in Shenandoah National Park, one of the largest attractions in the area, and sales can plummet. Pellegatta said on a winter day he typically makes about one-tenth of what he can pull over the summer.

Without tourists coming in, he relied on a group of loyal locals to stay in business over the colder months.

"We have a core of regulars that keeps us floating, if you will," he said.

To a number of his regulars, Pellegatta's is more than a place to go for a delicious array of baked goods, soups and sandwiches.

Pellegatta opened the eatery this past September after Apple Hill Bakery, where he worked part time, closed. Nine bakery regulars refused to lose their favorite hangout and came up with $5,000 to cover a six-month lease. Pellegatta agreed to run the place, which sits in Apple Hill's old location.

"The motivation was they were going to shut this place down. I looked at it more as a community service, but the community service turned me into a community servant," he said, laughing.

Pellegatta relied on some of his experience working at Apple Hill when managing his eatery. He knew that business would slow down in winter, for example, and he budgeted for it, he said. He did not, however, expect to get hit with taxes as hard as he did, he said.

"It's a lot of money to come out of a small business like this," he said.

A number of restaurants line Main Street in Sperryville, and with the Stonewall Abbey Cafe scheduled to open soon, competition for business is likely to become even tougher.

But Pellegatta will take it in stride, he said.

"I'm of the school that business is good for business, and competition is good for business," he said.

And there are always his regulars, he said.

Ray Stamps, of Woodville, put up cash to help cover the eatery's first six-month lease. He said he goes there every morning he's in town.

"The food is great," he said. "I think Teddy prepares some of the best food anywhere, and of course the camaraderie is great. It's a lively social environment, and I think people enjoy being part of the scene here."