As a registered dietician, Melody DeGaetano is well aware of what scientists call the “bliss point” - perfect combination of sugar, salt, and fat that a brain reacts to - as well as the necessity for healthy sustenance. The small plates at her French Mediterranean restaurant, Bernadette, offer both. “I operate from a standpoint of quality vs. quantity,” she explained. “You're still exciting your brain and palate but the portion size makes it so that you're not overindulging. Everything is quality and almost everything is made from scratch down to the dipping sauce…except ketchup. What you’re having is truly crafted and not just purchased.”
Though the Valentine’s Day menu hadn't been finalized at the time of reporting -- the focus was still on getting through Christmas and New Year’s -- DeGaetano had some ideas. “Oysters are a fan favorite for sure, and we'll definitely have a special cocktail that's geared toward [the holiday] in terms of what the taste and name of it is.”
Beyond crafting the menu and cocktails, DeGaetano picks everything from the scented candles and toilet paper in the bathroom to the outlet covers. “Don’t even get me started on the lightbulb,” she said. The seemingly endless decision making is worth it for the joy DeGaetano gets from the work. “The nature of a small business owner is you have to take on just about every role. The only thing I cannot do is bartend,” she said.
When asked what she loves about owning restaurants, Melody DeGaetano recounts two stories, one from each of the two businesses she owns. “The first year that we were open at Black Drop it was Thanksgiving morning, and an older gentleman was alone reading the paper. Later, a second gentleman also sat down reading the paper alone and I introduced them. They started talking…and now they play chess together on weekends,” DeGaetano said. Then, she recounted a recent evening at Bernadette. “There was a group of women at the restaurant celebrating nothing at all,” she begins, “and the restaurant was full of laughter. [Co-owner Ryan Hampton and I] didn't just create a restaurant, we created a space for people to connect.”