FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — One may ask, how does an Italian food shop end up next to an Irish bakery? The answer is simple because: family is everything.
"People will come in here and be like, 'I can't believe the Italians moved next door,' and I will be like, 'That's my sister,'" said Maria Isabella, co-owner of Reilly's Irish Bakery.
But really, nothing is confusing about this west-side family that is part Irish and part Italian.
Ronnie and Mick Isabella raised four children, including their two daughters. Maria graduated from North Olmsted High School in 2002, and Christina followed suit in 2008.
Now, the sisters own businesses side by side in Fairview Park, representing both sides of their heritage.
"It's amazing. It was one of those things where we took an idea, and then we just kept adding, and we ran with it," said Maria.
"It's fun. It's really nice because if we ever need something or need to bounce an idea off of each other, I just go out this door and into the next one," said Christina Isabella, owner of Mangia Bella.
The door of Reilly’s Irish bakery first opened in 2016. Maria became part owner with her mother just last year. Christina worked with both of them for several years before branching off in March of 2023 to open Mangia Bella.
And whether it’s Sheppard's pie, corn beef, and pastries or lasagna, calzones, and stromboli, one thing is certain.
"I am always worried about quality," said Christina. "I don't like to cheapen anything in my product. The dough and everything is handmade from scratch. It's a lot of work, but when I get feedback from customers about how much they love it, and they come back, it motivates me to keep moving forward."
Over at Reilly's Irish Bakery, they also pride themselves on using only fresh ingredients.
"I'm a proud momma for sure. to have both my daughters in the food industry. I feel like I paved the way for them because we all gotta eat."
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