![]() While working for a restaurant in Spokane, Stekly found encouragement from the owner to follow her dream of starting a business. I love food, and that’s always brought me back to the restaurant industry,” Stekly said. “The part that’s attracted me to all of those different jobs has been service and customer service and the people. She found that her passion was the restaurant industry after many career changes as a massage therapist, flight attendant and dental assistant. Stekly is hopeful that she’ll live up to Missoula’s expectations, while also making the cafe her own. “And that was very much evident with my clientele.” “Places like that help you age gracefully,” Galusha said. Galusha had many regulars, including a woman who visited every day and read thick books with her coffee and another customer who felt less isolated because of the neighborhood cafe. was built in 1914, and previously housed two other businesses, including Freddy’s Feed & Read and a university market. So before she could open in 2011, Galusha had to fight for her business by changing the zoning and winning over the neighborhood. The Buttercup Cafe’s beginnings weren’t easy, as residents in the University District had pushed back against commercialization by enacting protective zoning in 1995. “Otherwise, you’re just so isolated if you can’t walk and bike there.” “Every neighborhood needs a gathering spot,” Galusha said. The new cafe should open in June or July. The building is undergoing a remodel, and will feature a large dining room on the main floor and a study lounge in the loft, Stekly said. ![]() The new cafe will offer breakfast and lunch, using locally sourced bakery items, sandwiches, soups and more. ![]() It’s open for all walks of life, all types of people, and we just want to feed their hearts through their bellies.” “Grandma’s arms and kitchen were always open to everyone and anyone, and that’s what our cafe will be. “I wanted to keep the grandma feel,” said Tadra Stekly, Nonna's owner. The word “Nonna” is Italian for “Grandmother.” Now the cafe is transitioning to new ownership, and will be renamed Nonna’s Neighborhood Eatery. “It wasn’t fancy stuff, it was delicious, and that’s what I learned from her.” “Buttercup was a locavore before it was a style because she had a big garden, she preserved lots of things, she bartered for food that she didn’t have,” Galusha said. It was a way of life that resonated with Galusha, and which she shared with others at her University Area cafe, shopping at Missoula's farmers markets and encouraging her employees to prepare family recipes and their own creations using local foods.
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