Food is a family affair at Sweet Patricia’s Bakery in Savannah. Andria Canella, the head chef and owner, was inspired to open her own place after her grandmother passed away in 2020.
“She taught me all the basics of baking and cooking in a kitchen. Any time you went to her house, you could find her in the kitchen. [Her passing] sparked something.”
Andria is no stranger to Savannah’s food scene. On top of working in the food industry, since she was 14 in her family’s pizzeria, she has also worked locally at places like The Grey and Franklin’s. After her grandmother passed, she realized she didn’t want to be a line cook anymore. She wanted to do something independently and honor her grandmother’s memory.
Sweet Patricia’s is named after Andria’s grandmother. “She was the matriarch of the family,” Andria explained. Anytime someone in the family had a birthday, Andria said they always requested Grandma Pat’s seven-layer cake. That cake along with many other family recipes will be on the menu. Andria said she will also include an important ingredient that her grandmother always remembered: love.
“You’d be like, how did you make this so good? It’s just banana bread, and she’d say, ‘I baked it with a little bit of love. That’s all.’ Hopefully, I can bring that through to what we try to do here.”
She had perfected her recipes while working at Franklin’s and cooking for friends during the 2020 shutdown. When she spotted the shop space on Habersham Street across from Cotton & Rye was available, she said it was a sign. Andria and her wife Richelle started the work to make Sweet Patricia’s a reality. The community, with the grand opening on Saturday, February 18th, will now enjoy that reality.
Richelle, Andria’s wife, said they want to be a convenient and healthy lunch spot where you can come in, grab a sandwich, and be on your way easily.
The sandwich meat will be sliced fresh every day in their kitchen. “That’s the love in it,” said Andria. “You’re willing to take the time to slice that every day to make sure the quality is the best.”
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