By Julie McCay Turner
Driving along Great Road in Bedford Center you’ll see the signs for Café Darling at 119 The Great Road, along with a white iron bicycle festooned with pots of colorful hydrangeas. Inside, you’ll find teapots, an espresso machine, artwork, flowers, and customers. Lots and lots of customers.
Word has it that the shelves were stripped bare long before the café closed at 2 pm on opening day, Tuesday, July 2. “I thought if I sold 100 cupcakes in a week, I’d be doing well,” said owner Vicky Parks, “but everything was gone in the first few hours!”
The Citizen caught up with Rosemary Brutico and Gina Ballard having coffee and sweets on the verandah while they planned Ripples, a self-guided tour of the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden in Harvard, MA, to take place July 21 and 22. “We’re going to make Café Darling famous,” said Brutico, “all of our friends are going to be coming here!”
Sherwood Ives, who works in Bedford, stopped by for cupcakes to bring to work. He said that he was looking forward to tasting them because they looked delicious and were so temptingly presented. Maddie Berman tends the register on most days, and feels fortunate to be working locally.
Café Darling’s front hall décor welcomes grown-ups and has accommodations for younger tea drinkers. A pair of miniature club chairs waits for the youngest, and small baskets of books and distractions are stored in a nearby bookcase.
Parks noted a lovely tea set on the overmantel in the serving area; the china will be used when formal Thursday afternoon teas begin later in the year.
The dining room and serving area also function as a gallery, with local artists’ work on display (and for sale) on a two-week rotation so that customers will frequently see new work.
Click to view additional photographs taken at Cafe Darling.
Café Darling is located at 119 The Great Road, Bedford.
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Now Closed
So eager for the formal teas- but have no idea how to work that into my work schedule. Wish they’d stay open late on Thursdays for town concerts!
I stopped by here yesterday on my way home from work. I wasn’t sure what time they were opened until, so I just went up to read the hours. They close at 2pm, and it was 4pm. Oh well, as I turned around, the door opended and they welcomed me in so warmly to come in and take a look at the place! How lovely it is! The place looks beautiful, and the owners were so warm and friendly. I was able go get a copy of the menu and will definitely be back when they are open. What a nice addition to Bedford!!