One of the newest stars on the Beaver County restaurant scene is up-and-comer Mezza Luna Café, located at 649 Midland Avenue in Midland. Owners Sherri and Audra Kelly have been showcasing their creative and unique recipes at the Midland location since June 2013. The mother-daughter combo have started a cult following of sorts for their customers.
Sherri, who previously worked in catering and operated a scaled-down version of Mezza Luna (half moon in Italian) in Bridgewater, always wanted to own her own business. Thus setting the stage for the current shop. Sherri, of Cranberry, and Audra, of Beaver, generate a lot of their recipe ideas from traveling, cooking shows, reading, and sheer creativity. A lot of their lunch items are not commonly found in Beaver County eateries. This makes Mezza Luna an attractive option for “foodies” in the County. Let’s take a look at the menu and some of their special offerings.
Coffee and Bakery
Mezza Luna also moonlights as a bakery, coffee and espresso bar in addition to their wonderful lunch offerings. They offer fresh brewed fair trade coffee and teas, espressos, lattes, and hot chocolate. Three of their more popular coffee beans they brew on rotation are the Palermo, Tanzanian Teaberry, and Brazilian blends. If America runs on Dunkin Donuts, then Midland runs on Mezza Luna.
Their cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and brownies are some of the best in western Pennsylvania. Some of their muffins include salty caramel banana and blueberry streusel. Recently, the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School performed “The Wizard of Oz.” Mezza Luna – in particular head baker Hannah Sparks – didn’t want to miss out on the fun, so they created cupcakes: Dorothy Ruby Red Slippers, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion. And they looked amazing! They’ve also concocted Halloween Funfetti, Death by Chocolate, German Chocolate, S’mores, Peanut Butter Banana, and Mixed Berry Cobbler, just to name a few. Their cupcakes were even featured in Pittsburgh Magazine.
Lunch
In recent years, Midland’s workforce has seen an uptick thanks to employees from the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, and Allegheny Ludlum steel mill who flock to “America’s hometown” on a daily basis. This has created a customer base and loyal following for the Kelly’s to feed.
Mezza Luna has a base menu, kind of like their own “playbook,” then features a weekly or often daily special. Their salads are unique and fresh. Their sandwiches, salads, and wraps are wildly popular. My personal favorite is the California Club wrap, affectionately known as the “Cali.” They’ve also whipped up other specials such as a cheeseburger flatbread, Jamaican jerk chicken tacos, taco mac and cheese, sundried tomato gorgonzola mac and cheese, lasagna mac and cheese, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and an outstanding veggie wrap.
Inside
The space Mezza Luna occupies in Midland is a renovated building on the corner of Midland Avenue, directly across the street from PA Cyber’s headquarters. It offers seating on both sides of the restaurant, accommodating parties big and small. Patrons who frequent Mezza Luna will tell you Sherri and Audra often know their customers on a first-name basis.
The connection they’re able to make with the mouths they feed undoubtedly leaves customers feeling a sense of “home.” I would love to see Mezza Luna take to the streets and operate a food truck so the rest of the region can see the glorious offerings that the people of Midland and employees who work there have known about.
If you haven’t been to Midland recently, make it a point to go out of your way to take the trip down Route 68. Mezza Luna Café will leave you more than satisfied…and curious for more.
