In 1994, Zoltan and Melinda Vetro immigrated from Hungary to the United States, and subsequently opened Old Europe Pastries in Asheville, North Carolina. Melinda has been baking since she was only three years old, with it having been her life’s focus ever since.
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Coffee Shop With Hungarian Roots
The couple’s love of baking and enjoying desserts has fueled the longevity behind Old Europe. However, Zoltan eventually passed on, and Bobby Daugherty, a local businessman, lent a hand to fill the void with the operations.
Now, just as of the summer of 2019, Daugherty has expanded upon the Old Europe Pastries business by opening a new, second location in Greenville, North Carolina.
2 Great Locations
The two businesses are relatively similar, both serving the same things, except that the Greenville location’s bigger space, which is roughly double the size of the Asheville location, allows for an upgraded kitchen that serves lunch options.
Soon, the same store will expand the menu to serve wine. Over twenty years after starting the business, Melinda Vetro still runs the kitchen at the Asheville shop, crafting desserts that make up each location’s menu.
Serving Delicious Pastries for 20 Years
These include gourmet options such as tiramisu, eclairs, lemon Bavarian, hazelnut Napoleon, French creamy, Godiva cheesecakes, and those that make up the “favorites” section, like vanilla cheesecake, key lime pie, and chocolate chip cookies.
Further baking is done to serve the handful of breakfast items such as various croissants, scones, fruit cruffins, a daily choice of quiche, banana bread, and coffee cake. Logically pairing well with the latter item is the decently built list of coffee beverages they serve.
Sourcing Beans from Mountain City Roasters
Old Europe sources all beans from Mountain City Roasters and keeps their Sumatra blend as a constantly served brew. The craft beverages served include lattes, espresso, americanos, mochas, macchiatos, cappuccinos, cafe au laits, cortados, and cold brew coffee that is brewed for a lengthy thirty-six hours. Beyond coffee, there are teas, chai, Italian sodas, Coca-Cola, and Perrier.
Come for Breakfast or a Late Night Snack
The hours of Old Europe Pastries range from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 12:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In keeping these extended hours of operation, they can cater to the morning coffee and breakfast-seeking crowd, but also fulfill their intended goal of providing a place that people can go to late in the night, particularly to have some dessert after dining out at nearby restaurants.
Fit for allowing customers to relax and stay for a while, the interior of the cafe is humble and welcoming. Darker tan, textured walls and the non-exaggerated lighting creates a mood that is both as classy and as calming as the desserts.
Touches of elegant art are scattered throughout, as are black tables with wooden benches and stools. The white tile floor ensures no mess made by someone getting over-excited about eating an eclair will be a big deal.
Final Words
All of this is doubly accentuated at the larger Greenville location. While there are many coffee shops these days, there are not many that serve such specialty desserts as Old Europe Pastries, and that alone creates an enticing proponent. To sample some homemade helpings or sip on some coffee, seek out Old Europe Pastries.
Address
716 S Main St, Greenville, or 13 Broadway St, Asheville, North Carolina.
