Lola and Giuseppe - You got it!

Do you ever have one of those experiences that you know you will never forget?
You know the ones where you want everyone who means anything to you to also experience.

Tonight was one of those times for me.

We decided to try someplace different to eat so we drove to a nearby town and spotted a small restaurant with Italian cuisine.  Lola and Giuseppes. 

From the moment we walked in the door I felt like I was in not out.  What  I mean is I was that comfortable, I felt like I was home.

Enter in and here comes Lola "welcome to my place, you new here?"

The room we are in has only 8 tables.  We are seated beside a couple , I mean beside a couple. Within seconds this couple reaches out their hands to introduce themselves and began talking like old friends.  Obvious very loyal customers they proceeded to tell us about every dish on the menu.  Lola walked over to their table to hand them a lemon dessert drink in very small glasses.  Before Lola handed them the glasses she held them before them and said "To love and friendship and good health".

The gentleman took a sip and handed his glass to my husband and said here try this.  Who. Does. That?  Drinking out of the same cup as a stranger?

Before I knew what was happening, my husbands hand toppled over my full glass of ice water. It quickly ran a over my pants, chair, the floor and obviously the table.  Now all of that is not so exciting or maybe even unusual but an important element none the less.  This women we just met, the wife to the man who shared his drink- she jumped up and took their linen napkins as well as others and began wiping my lap, and the table, and tossed napkins down on the floor she proceeded to go into the kitchen and yes she is a customer and yes she came out of the kitchen with a mop!

So we are now about 15 minutes into our experience. Lola was a love.  We decided what we wanted. ordered. When Lola came by to see if we were ok?  I said "I love it and we don't even have our food yet" "Oh you so sweet" she says.

We learned Lola and Giuseppe have been in the business 7 years. 

We ate our food and it was superb.

The customer service was superb!

I was on stimulation overload. I felt so warm I did not want to leave.

On my left there was a table of 3 women who drove from Marysville!!! just to eat there based on the reviews that were written on the Internet.

A man in his 20's walked in and Lola greeted him as she does everyone and she said this. You were here a year ago!  He said yes I was, look hear I have our picture and he pulls out his phone and shows her their picture.  Who does that? Lola does.

I told Lola I wanted my picture taken with her and she said oh honey let me get my lipstick.  This woman was so beautiful inside there was no shade of lipstick needed to improve her image.

"Lola, I said. Do you know what a blog is?" "No I don't even know how to turn one on" she knew it was something on a computer.  I explained to her what it was and that I enjoyed blogging and that I was going to blog about her an Giuseppe.  Her eyes widened.  You see to her she was doing nothing extraordinary but extraordinary she was. She said "You mean I am going to be all over the world?" I said "yes, you could be" "let me see that picture of us, I look awful"

"I put my arms around this 70 plus year old lady and said Lola you are beautiful, and you got it."  She said you know we have never spent a dime on advertising.  You know they don't need to.

We hugged and I promised to return and she said bring your friends- and friends you will not want to miss this.  
                                                      
                                               

Me and Lola

So if you are not yet sold, let me introduce Giuseppe.  We walk out the door and I have this feeling like I don't want to leave.  The kind of feeling you get when you are saying goodbye to family. Well out walks Giuseppe, Lola's husband. He didn't know how I was feeling, however he said this to me. " Don't go, let us sit here and talk."  Really am I here or having some out of body experience?

First he wants to know how we came about coming to their place.  He then wanted to make sure we enjoyed.  "Enjoyed, I said I don't want to leave".  He laughed and said "there is a little bed in the back you can have that".

He was clearly right from Italy with the charming accent and smile.  As we talked I learned;
 
"I come from Italy when I was a little boy of 24, he laughs.  I work all my life , every day.  I am 78 and I still work 7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day. We LOVE what we do.  We both love to cook.  Lola she loves to do the sweets, you know the pastries.  Come into her little sweet room where she makes things, oh she has so many trinkets.  You know we sometimes put on the gloves and go at it but there is no one like Lola. She loves the people, she go around and talk to everyone, me not so much."

I ask if Lola is from Italy, he smiles and his eyes twinkle. "No she a French women" and again that infectious laugh.

He shares a story of taking Lola back to Italy once.  He shares his love for this country.  As we are getting ready to go he says.  Italy is beautiful but this is my home.  Well Giuseppe we are so glad that it is.  I walked away with so much more than just a full belly.  My heart was full.

Me and the charming Giuseppe.