Looking for high quality, simple ingredient breads? Want to support a local multi-generational hard-working family? Then La Bella Vita Bakery in Ashland is the perfect fit for your family! The Serafim family knows the importance of family traditions and how the act of sharing food brings loved ones together. In fact, customers consistently report their breads connect them to cherished tastes, simple recipes, and fond family memories from their past.
Growing up, brothers Adam and Andrew Serafim, appreciated how life was always celebrated with great food. Adam stated, “The holidays always encompassed shared family meals emphasizing gratitude for our blessings and the ones we love.” Their father, Steven, was co-owner and kitchen manager of the popular Richmond restaurant, The Celebrity Room. “Dad always did his best to ensure every pizza and entree was a reflection of his commitment to quality and excellence,“ Adam reflected. The Serafims attribute much of the success of the restaurant to how customers were treated as an extension of the family.
After high school Adam initially pursued an education in culinary arts and quickly developed an interest in the connection between the culture of food and the local community. He shifted his focus to sustainable agriculture, earning an Associates from Reynolds. Later he additionally completed a degree in business administration from the University of Richmond.
Andrew completed an internship at an organic aquaponics farm in Hawaii. He brought his experience in growing high quality fresh greens back to Virginia and joined forces with his brother and father to sell aquaponically grown lettuce at local farmers’ markets.
As a side hobby, Adam had gotten into baking from scratch after his sister sent him a bread recipe. He remarked, “I had never worked to craft bread from scratch before. I really enjoyed fine tuning the formula to make it my own and get it just right. It’s so rich-tasting with no lingering aftertaste. So many store breads are not really bread anymore with preservatives for longer shelf life and dough conditioners to make them more machinable to produce.” Before long, the breads found their way to their market table and took off! The growing demand led the Serafim family to focus exclusively on baking.
The name of the bakery, La Bella Vita, translates into beautiful life. It celebrates their Greek-Italian heritage and their joyful large family style meals. Adam described the decision by stating, “It represents how food brings family and community together. I look forward to work every day. I’m proud and happy to feed people. It’s all about building resilience of our local community. They make it possible for us to do what we do and I’m filled with gratitude to do this as a living.”
Adam is thrilled about the family’s success reflecting, “Dad has come full circle from standing on a box of #10 cans as a ten year old making pizza dough by hand. Andrew and I have found an outlet for our passion of connecting great food and community.” Baking does seem to be in their blood as Adam’s five year old daughter Elsa can be found in the bakery standing on cases of salt to work on her own dough experiments.
La Bella Vita Bakery’s breads are hugely popular among restaurants, grocery stores, and numerous local farmers markets. Customers love the simple clean ingredients and soft texture. It’s truly a family effort to pull off up to 5000 rolls a day! The country white bread Adam perfected over time serves as the base for their dinner and party rolls and gourmet sandwich buns. They also offer fresh, versatile, wholesome honey wheat and sourdough loaves.
Adam’s family eats toasted sourdough bread daily and will use it for a tasty French toast breakfast on the weekends. The country white makes a divine bread pudding. They love to complement their rolls with a creative chicken salad recipe that includes herbs de Provence, almonds, celery, cranberries and even a drizzle of honey. Nothing beats a barbeque sandwich made with their fresh gourmet sandwich buns! Their sourdough boule is the perfect base for a winter savory dinner filled with a hearty stew or warming soup!
Meeting all your bread needs from La Bella Vita Bakery is a win-win! Your family can support the Serafim family to do what they love and your family gets to enjoy fresh simple ingredient breads and rolls. Make La Bella Vita Bakery a part of your family tradition!
La Bella Vita Bakery
