Allentown café opens in tribute of owner’s sister killed in crash just blocks away - lehighvalleylive.com

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A new walk-up cafe opened in Allentown in memory of a woman killed five years ago in a hit-and-run-accident.

Owner Carlos Marrero opened Ms. Velvet’s Café, at 239 N. Fourth St., late last month in the former site of Bacon Bagels. Bacon Bagels closed last May following thedeath of owner Leo Martin, and Marrero served the past year as the site’s manager.

Marrero’s mother, Iris Gonzalez, sometimes helps serve up dishes. He opened cafe in memory of his late sister, Ruby Marrero. She was 32 when she died.

She was injured in February 2017 while crossing the street near her city home in the 400 block of North Sixth Street. She died a week after the crash. The driver was charged in her death, jailed and granted parole after serving three years this past March.

So much of Ms. Velvet’s Café reflects what his sister would have wanted for the family, Carlos Marrero said.

It’s two blocks from where Ruby Marrero worked, lived and, ultimately, died. Photos of her are scattered around the cafe. Her favorite foods are on the menu, such as buttered soft rolls paired with “morir soñando,” an orange-and-cream flavored beverage. “Ms. Velvet” was Carlos Marrero’s nickname for his red-haired sister.

“Ruby’s life was invested in Allentown and this location is a perfect fit to honor her memory,” Carlos Marrero told lehighvalleylive.com. “And when it came time to select a name for the new business, the choice was easy.”

Ms. Velvet’s Café, 239 N. 4th St., opened late last month in space that previously occupied Bacon Bagels in Allentown. It's in tribute of the late owner's sister, Ruby Marrero.Photo via GoFundMe.com |For lehighvalleylive.com

Carlos Marrero has a lifelong passion for cooking and the community.

He’s spent more than two decades working in the culinary industry, starting at age 15 working for McDonald’s. He moved up to manager at restaurants like New York Gyro in Allentown and the former Bacon Bagels, and was a multi-store manager for Dunkin’.

He always wanted to run his own cafe and his sister’s untimely death convinced him to follow his dream. He got financial backing from Bethlehem’s Rising Tide Community Loan Fund. The fund is a nonprofit subsidiary of Community Action Lehigh Valley, which helps business owners with start-up endeavors and development.

His sister loved to have a good time. He wants that for his patrons, he said.

“Ruby was a vessel of fun, life and love,” Carlos Marrero said. “The hope of Ms. Velvet’s Café is to spread that fun, life, and love through serving the community.”

On the menu are breakfast sandwiches, eggs and omelets. For lunch, the cafe serves up tuna and chicken salad sandwiches, BLT clubs and cheesesteaks on rolls and wraps. On the side you can eat soft pretzels, home fries, side salads and homemade soups.

Prices range $4 to $8; with combos, including a hot beverage at breakfast or can of soda and chips for lunch, costing around $10. The cafe has some outdoor patio seating with heaters for cold months.

Carlos Marrero places a memorial just blocks away from Ms. Velvet’s Café, at 239 N. 4th St., at the section of the roadway where Ruby Marrero was fatally struck. The accident happened in February 2017 as she crossed the street near her Allentown home in the 400 block of North Sixth Street.

Ms. Velvet’s is less than a block from Central Catholic High School and St. Luke’s Hospital-Sacred Heart. Carlos Marrero hopes students and medical workers stop in for a bite.

Carlos Marrero may open a second location. He also wants more help to staff the cafe, jobs targeted to folks with special needs or first-time job seekers.

The cafe is open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Saturday. However, Carlos Marrero is considering seeking zoning approval to stay open later.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

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Allentown café opens in tribute of owner’s sister killed in crash just blocks away - lehighvalleylive.com
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