Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
Article from The Reminder:
New café offers breakfast and lunch options in Holyoke
Trent Levakis
HOLYOKE – During early 2020 Nilka Ivette Ortiz decided to start selling chocolate covered strawberries and other treats from her home to make some money during the coronavirus pandemic. Putting herself out there in starting her small business from home has now led to her opening the Ortiz Family Café at 206 Maple St., an expansion on the work she had already been doing.
The café serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches as well as other quick breakfast options, which is new to Ortiz, but the new space has become a nice addition for the business. She continues to specialize in homemade baked goods and said the most popular options for desserts have been her chocolate strawberry shortcake cheesecake cups and chocolate covered strawberries.
Ortiz was selling chocolate covered strawberries before adding other desserts from her Westfield home in 2020 and used social media to grow her small business and gain popularity in the area. She found herself doing larger orders for weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries and thus began Chocolate Covered by Ivette.
As her small business grew more over these last two years, Ortiz was approached in August by the previous owners of the new café location (Totally Baked 413) who offered her the opportunity to buy the location as they were closing. The offer came at great time as Ortiz had already experienced some challenges in trying to expand her business and looking for building space until this option came to her.
“I took the opportunity. My brother then was like, ‘why not add sandwiches and other things to it? Everybody in our family cooks,’ so I was like I don’t know, can I think about it?’ He was like, ‘Nope, there is no time to think about it, let’s go for it,’” Ortiz said.
Ortiz Family Café opened on Nov. 1. What was supposed to be a soft opening turned into a great reception for Ortiz and her new business in downtown Holyoke. She said they had what felt like over 100 customers come in and out the door to check out the new café.
“I want to thank the community for being very welcoming, welcoming me even though I’ve been popular for my chocolate covered by Ivette, to transitioning to Ortiz Family Café,” Ortiz said. “It wasn’t easy for me, but it was easier with them supporting me.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony was hosted a few days later by the new business and saw Mayor Joshua Garcia stop by to say some words and congratulate the Ortiz family on their new business.
Ortiz said she had struggled with having the confidence to believe in herself with her business and that eventually just going for her goal has paid off. She added it has made her thankful for making an attempt at this goal of hers and that she does not regret the decision.
By working in different customer service, Ortiz said it taught her the value and importance of the quality of kindness and friendliness needed when working with customers in order to grow and retain business.
“The most important thing here with the community is getting to know people and creating that relationship with the community,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz noted the challenges she has been through in her life and is happy to be where she is now and having achieved in opening her own business doing what she loves.
“I’ve always been low income. I’ve been a single parent of three children. Living in low income has been challenging and is very challenging when you’re a single mother living paycheck to paycheck,” Ortiz said. “With the business growing I know my name is out there and it motivates me a lot. I can honestly say that having this place has been great and has helped me compared to how I was previously living on a tight budget.”
Ortiz has connections to the home of her new business as she has family living in the city and graduated from the Care Center in 2004. She added she also had her first ever apartment on Main Street. She noted the Holyoke community has always been a part of her family’s lives.
The Ortiz Family Café will continue taking orders for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other events, according to Ortiz. She added that she has already reached a deal with the city to make 500 cookies for the city’s tree lighting later this year.
A timely example of what the café has to offer is the Thanksgiving list announced for this year. In honor of the holiday, they offered a chocolate covered fruit and cookie platter and a 12-piece chocolate covered turkey strawberries that resemble the Thanksgiving bird.
Ortiz said she is excited for this new chapter in her life and hopes to establish the new business as a staple of the Holyoke community and continue to grow and share what she and her family have to offer to their customers.
“I really want to thank the whole community, the Westfield community that keeps coming over here, all these nearby cities that have stopped in, and friends and family who have come by. It’s been awesome,” Ortiz said.
Article link: https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/holyoke/new-caf-offers-breakfast-and-lunch-options-in-holy/amp.htm
