Photo by Kelli S. Hewett
Benard and Brianna Tamburello are opening Vecchia Gelato & Cafe in The Preserve community in Hoover, Alabama.
The Vecchia Gelato & Cafe is set to open to the public on Monday, Nov. 10, a few doors down from Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato in the Preserve.
The new cafe, owned by Benard “Bernie” and Brianna Tamburello, replaces Moss Rock Tacos & Tequila, which the couple closed in late summer to make way for this passion project. They call it their “love letter to their community.”
How did it all start? Well, sometimes a great vacation will really change your life.
For the longtime Hoover restaurateurs, their Italian getaway in fall 2024 was so life-changing that they spent the next year translating it into a new cafe concept.
The couple wants to share with Hoover a little more la dolce vita – Italian for “the sweet life,” where a quick Italian getaway is available any day. It’s an idea rooted in love of culture, spurred by life challenges and realized in resilience and dedication.
“We wanted to create a space where people take a breath, take a pause in the day to come in and have a cup of coffee, or take a pause at the end of the day with family and connect,” said Brianna, who joined her husband in launching Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato in 2014.
When Bernie was diagnosed with cancer at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, their restaurant livelihood was already strained. Brianna had no choice but to take the business helm – shocking herself and her husband.
“Finding somebody who you trust as much as I trusted her was a lot,” Bernie admitted, and boy, did she impress him. The experience deepened their respect and reshaped their dynamic as a couple.
“You recognize that you can be as rich as possible, but the only things you can’t buy are time and family and health,” Bernie said.
That revelation drives their newest venture — a business that celebrates life’s most meaningful moments.
Photo by Kelli S. Hewett
Some of the sweets available at the new Vecchia Gelato & Cafe in The Preserve community in Hoover, Alabama.
During last year’s Italian road trip, the couple re-absorbed the philosophy of living where patience is a virtue, family comes first and every meal, every espresso, every cup of gelato is a joy to be savored.
“We fell in love with each other all over again after Italy,” Brianna said, her fingers laced with Bernie’s as they spoke. “We had made it through COVID, we had made it through his cancer, and we were like, ‘You know what? Life’s too short.’”
So they came home and fast-tracked the cafe to make sure the vacation didn’t end..
Their Carrara marble countertop came straight from Northern Italy, and the pastry case was custom-made in Milan. Unlike their energetic, rustic pizzeria that embodies Bernie’s style, the cafe reflects Brianna’s sleek, relaxed elegance. And in response to the lifestyle changes the pair have made since the cancer journey, they source clean, simple ingredients.
Vecchia Gelato & Cafe’s offerings include a full Italian espresso bar — one of the first in the Southeast serving Kimbo coffee from Naples. There are fresh Italian pastries and creamy gelato. Bernie himself recommends affogato, espresso poured over gelato. The savory Sicilian street food includes Bernie’s street fries, Italian chicken dippers, fried risotto balls, flatbreads, salads and more.
Photo by Kelli S. Hewett
Some of the sweets available at the new Vecchia Gelato & Cafe in The Preserve community in Hoover, Alabama.
Both Vecchias combine as a testament to surviving, thriving and finding beauty in life’s unexpected challenges and its ordinary routines and pleasures. The Tamburellos’ message is simple: Life is not about perfection, but about savoring each moment, each bite, each connection.
The new Vecchia Gelato & Cafe at 616 Preserve Parkway, Suite 112, is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. For more, visit vecchiagelatocafe.com or call 205-783-1130.
