Author: Michael

By Faith Isbell and Sutton Travis In the late hours of the morning, Francesco Benincasa is in the small kitchen at the back of his coffee shop where he maneuvers between humming machines and pans of cold, creamy gelato. Benincasa, 41, is the owner and manager of Pronto Caffé and Gelateria, which opened on Lexington’s Main Street four years ago. An experienced chef and restaurant owner, Benincasa wanted to see a place in Lexington that sold a variety of products—coffee, sandwiches and desserts. “I felt the opportunity here was to do something a little different for Lexington,” Benincasa said. An…

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By Katrina Lewis https://youtu.be/Mfyc1i_2wEs For Gregory Moore, an unusual profession came about in an unusual way. “Free education—that’s how I got started,” Moore said. A neighbor’s family had owned a cobbler shop for more than 100 years in Salem, Va. Then one family member took the business up the road, opening a shop in Buena Vista. Moore, who is from the area, took an interest in the business and craft of the cobbler, and when he heard that the Buena Vista shop was closing, he purchased some of its machinery after the owner offered to train him in the craft.…

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