Mo’Bay Beignet Co. will open the first week of April in the former Midtown location of Muddy’s Bake Shop.
That means beignets — with your choice of butter cream, cinnamon, and other syrups — and coffee, espresso, and tea, says Theresa Monteleone, who, with her husband John, is the owner of the restaurant at 585 South Cooper.
Theresa was having a hard time finding a job after they moved to Memphis. “My husband John and I are originally from Mobile, Alabama,” she says.
She always worked in healthcare. John, who works for Results Physiotherapy, was an avionics mechanic and electrician in the Coast Guard for 23 years before becoming a flight medic for people injured on oil rigs.
They moved to Memphis after their daughter and her husband moved here in 2021. “We’ve always wanted to own our own business. At one point in time I wanted to open up my own women-only gym.”
And, she adds, “We thought maybe we’d open our own clinic here for mental health.”
Her son-in-law then suggested they look into Mo’Bay. “The Lord just kind of dropped this in our lap. Someone we knew, the actual owner of the franchise, created this in the middle of the pandemic. She was looking for franchisees.”
John will continue to work for Results Physiotherapy and work part time at Mo’Bay.
Working in a food-related job isn’t far-fetched, Theresa says. “My daughter and I are bakers. I grew up in South Alabama, so I grew up cooking things like chicken and dumplings, collard greens, fried chicken, beans, and cornbread.”
Theresa is still in the kitchen when she’s at home. “I have to cook every day. We’ve got five kids. The youngest is 16. He’s the only one left at home.”
She liked the idea of a beignet/coffee shop. “I’m a coffee and tea person. When that came up, I thought it would be perfect.”
They own the eighth Mo’Bay franchise. “We do have the secret recipe and what have you for the beignets. We do make those homemade.”
They’ll get their coffee from Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co. in Mobile.
The color scheme — inside and out — for the business will be black and white “with woods and metals incorporated.”
It will be decorated with graphics, including the USS Alabama battleship in Mobile.
Theresa had “carte blanche” to pick Memphis-related items, but she had definite ideas. She didn’t want just images of Elvis and other well-known Memphis icons. “I wanted something close to that line, but I wanted a female, number one.”
She chose the late blues guitarist, Memphis Minnie. “She was female. She wrote her own music. She was a vocalist. She played her own instrument.”
Theresa learned about Memphis Minnie online. “I was just Googling. I just started researching and I stumbled across a few females, but there was just something about her that stood out to me. I said, ‘This is what I want.’”
A large Memphis Minnie vinyl graphic mural is currently being made for the dining room. “She’s going to look really good in there.”
Growing their new business is not out of the question. “It’s not beyond us to open up other locations in Tennessee, or even branch out and maybe open up something of our own that is fully ours.”
Theresa loves Memphis, but, she says, “This is the first state that we’ve ever lived in that is landlocked. We’ve always lived on the coast.”
Her husband is a surfer. “It’s a little difficult not to be close to the beach.” But, she says, “We like Memphis. Definitely. Being military, we’re used to moving places.”
She likes the diversity in Memphis. “Memphis has got great food, great people, and we’re looking forward to serving them.”
And, adds John, “More than just having a little cafe, our goal is to bring a light to Memphis. To fellowship with the community. To love on them and just be a part of Memphis. And to make it a better place.”