On a smoldering July evening, a half-hour before closing, there's a line at the counter at fast-casual vegan restaurant Love Again Local. Owner Elena Mascherino is called out front to help her staff fill the dinner orders, including several of their insanely popular Cuban Sandwich.
This is Elena's first restaurant experience, though she did build a successful vegan cookie company, Love Chunk Cookies, out of the Artisan Exchange and distributed them locally to Whole Foods, Kimberton Whole Foods, and Mom's Organic. The cookies are now baked fresh and available at her shop. Before that, she had a long career in retail buying and management, which she left to raise her three children. "After my last kid went to school, I needed to do something that gave me a sense of accomplishment," she says.
Elena's dream is a beautiful and busy reality now. "I think we're going to be really busy when the West Chester University students come back — I'm going to accept the RAM card, and we're looking into delivery to campus," she says.