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Business & Tech

Local Phoenixville Restaurants Spotlight Their Specialties at Phoenixville Restaurant Festival

Citizens of the Phoenixville area enjoyed a beautiful day by sampling local Phoenixville cuisine.

On May 22, restaurants served samples of their favorite and latest menu items to local patrons during the Phoenixville Restaurant Festival. Along with popular eateries on Bridge Street, there were a surprising number of new vendors who were showcasing niche dishes.

“This is my first time at Phoenixville Restaurant Festival selling cupcakes,” Stacie Bellos, owner of Sweet Velvet, said.

Even though Bellos is new to the cupcake business, she is a veteran of Phoenixville and her parents own and operate Bridgeside Deli.

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“[My mom] is an inspiration,” Bellos said.

To encourage her daughter’s success, Eliana Bellos added Sweet Velvet cupcakes to their menu on selected days.

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In addition to Sweet Velvet, Mompops and Dia Doce highlighted their delicious sweets. Attendees were proudly purchasing frozen pops from Mompops regardless of the mild weather. Mompops is a mother and son business that sells gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, frozen pops under 100 calories.

“We make our frozen pops all natural since we use nectar to sweeten them,” said Issa Ostrander.

Mompops are available to purchase at Pheonixville Farmers' Market.

“We have six to eight flavors [of frozen pops] and rotate them every week,” Sandra Ostrander said.

Dia Doce displayed their unique assortment of cupcakes from cookie dough to piña colada.

“We bring a gourmet feel to the everyday cupcake,” said Thalis da Silva.

With local ingredients including basil grown in Silva’s garden, there were flavorful combinations such as green tea with caramelized basil and strawberry shortcake.

“I’m excited about the cupcake truck,” Silva said.

It will be visiting selected southeastern Pennsylvania cities starting mid-June.

Alongside the new vendors, veteran restaurants, such as Franco Ristorante and Majolica, were greeting customers with popular food items.

Franco and Gail Lopresti, co-owners of Franco Ristorante, formulated a special menu marketed specifically for families. Some exclusive items were calamari picante sandwich with mozzarella, Italian sausage with broccoli rabe and peppino jalapeno cheesy French fries.

“We are the oldest restaurant in Phoenixville and a Phoenixville tradition,” Gail Lopresti said.

For 23 years, Franco Ristorante has been using secret family recipes to create mouth-watering dishes.

With French-inspired American fare, the staff at Majolica Restaurant presented oysters and roasted garlic soup to the hungry crowd.

“[Our] cuisine is made from local, fresh ingredients," Cheryl Speaker said.

Even though the main purpose of the Phoenixville Restaurant Festival is to allow potential customers to sample yummy foods, there were other happenings such as local musicians, face painting, and a moon bounce.

Throughout the event, which was held in the 100 to 200 block of Bridge Street on Sunday, business owners and customers appreciated discussing their treats and experiences with each other. The Phoenixville Restaurant Festival had another successful year.

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