Lucia serves up a tasty new career

TUCK in: all smiles for Lucia outside her new business in Market Street, Shaw.

A touch of the real Italy has found its way to Shaw.

Lucia Rea, whose family left the tiny village of Arpino in Italy’s Frosinone region over a century ago, has opened a coffee shop and ice cream parlour in Market Street.

All her products come from the family business — Marco and Rea and Sons Ltd — founded by Marco himself in the last century and continued by her father.

For eight years Lucia (34), from New Moston, worked for careers service Connexions, managing a project for the Manchester office, but has now joined the family business.

“I always harboured an ambition to open a real Italian coffee shop but finding the right location was a big issue for me,” she explained. “In Shaw there is a genuine sense of community and a proper, busy high street.”

The premises — previously a hair salon — have been transformed with leather settees and a welcoming atmosphere. Pictures on the wall trace the Rea family history from the first ice cream van to the present day.

Customers enjoy light bites — panini sandwiches and cakes — and a huge selection of ice creams, sundaes and sweets, all from the highly-decorated Marco Rea range.

Lucia is also one of the few coffee shops to serve “Affogoto” — vanilla ice cream with a poured espresso.

“We are something different,” said Lucia. “The family has 100 years’ experience of ice cream and top quality Italian coffee and this is what I want to bring to the people of Shaw,” said Lucia.

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