SPRINGFIELD — It was only natural that Ted Hutchins and Julie Agan decided to call their first restaurant the Amore Italian Bakery & Bistro. They put a lot of love into everything they do.
“We’ve been together for about a year – we met on eHarmony,” Hutchins said. “My dream had always been to open a cafe, and her dream was to have her own place – she had been a vendor in other shops. So when this place opened up, we talked to the owner, she loved us and wanted us to have it.”
That was last April. Three months later, they opened the doors to the restaurant formerly known as Cafe Madeira. And now, Amore – located in the Paramount Center at 2108 Main St. – has earned quite a distinction for its East Coast flavor.
“We wanted that New York bistro look, that feel,” Hutchins said, “with a white tablecloth, music in the background, sandwiches, soups, pastries, cannolis …
“One of our specialties is our Reuben, we have a reputation for having the best Reuben in the Eugene-Springfield area – people are coming in asking about it. But our pastrami and chicken salad subs are right there, too …”
His excitement is palpable, and he’s on a roll.
“… We have three soups every day. We always have a minestrone, I try to have a tomato-type bisque and I change out the third soup.”
And word is out, from local publications to online foodie sites where customers rave about the flavor and portion sizes. Those with a powerful hunger or tight lunch window might want to call ahead and reserve a table.
Early start, late finish
It’s not easy doing what they do, though. They have one valued employee: Shannon Jensen, and Hutchins’ nephew Chuck helps out on Saturdays.
The crew arrives at the restaurant between 4 and 4:30 every morning to make pastries.
“We have homemade biscuits with really good gravy,” Hutchins said. “People also love our signature cinnamon rolls, the pumpkin scones, strawberry puff pastries, our apple pie croissant … and we’re known for our cannolis, we always sell out of them.”
After the shop closes, Hutchins hits three stores every evening to get everything he needs for the next day.
It’s a grind, especially for a guy who has a tumor on his pituitary gland.
“It’s very common, it rests on my optic nerve,” said Hutchins, 62. “If it grows I can lose peripheral vision. It was diagnosed about 15 years ago; I take medication for it. I get mild headaches now and then, but that’s about it.”
“I give him a headache once in a while,” said Agan, 61.
Still, through it all, Hutchins and Agan say they love what they’re doing, and they love engaging with their customers.
“When people come in here, they’re going to be treated like family,” Hutchins said. “We greet everybody when they come in and get personal with them. We had one guy recently who said it smells like Grandma’s place.”
“It’s comfortable,” Agan chimed in. “It’s like PJ’s and a blanket – it’s a comfort thing.”
Hutchins said the feedback helps make it all worthwhile.
“My uncle, who lives here locally, called me a while back to say his friend told him he just had the best Reuben he’d ever had,” Hutchins said. “When he asked him where it was from, he said he got it from Amore.
“It’s worth all the hours and the hard work when you hear those kinds of compliments.”
