Main Line Bistro: A Family Affair

The way owner Carmella Thompson tells it, Main Line Bistro is a unique fusion of three passions: French, Italian, and family.

Thompson, a realtor, opened the Bryn Mawr restaurant in October with son Cody and daughter-in-law Salome. According to the genial owner, the idea for the bistro was born when the young couple returned from California, where they were married, with a talent for making crepes but nowhere to ply their trade. 

"Cody started working in a restaurant in North Wales, and he was having fun and thought, 'Wouldn't it be fun if we owned our own restaurant?'" his proud mom explained from behind the counter of the realization of that dream.

Thompson, then working full-time with Keller Williams in Blue Bell, scoured the market for the right fit and eventual found the 1047 W. Lancaster Avenue space—the former home of American Pie—they now call home.

The ownership group worked out a tidy, and tasty, division of labor: Cody and Salome would handle the French cuisine, while Thompson would oversee the Italian. But while Thompson readily admits her son's crepes are the most popular menu item at Bistro (based on the menu, it's little wonder: the crepes come in two broad categories—sweet and savory—and include flavors as diverse as Italian, Buffalo Blue Bell, Cheesesteak, and Nutella), she's no slouch in the kitchen either.

Italian born—"I came over when I was little," she said—Thompson has spent her whole life around food.

"My mom has always made homemade food. Homemade pasta, homemade pizza, bread...everything's homemade," she went on. "Homemade meatballs, sausage, everything."

She isn't the only Thompson who's pursued a career in the kitchen. In addition to her two other kids who work at the bistro, plus a niece and nephew, Carmella has seven cousins who are in the restaurant business.

The real question, she admits, isn't so much why she opened the eatery but what took her so long.

"The timing was right," she laughed, rich smells wafting in from the kitchen.

Main Line Bistro is located at 1047 W. Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr. You can view the menu at mainlinebistro.com, follow them on Twitter @MainLineBistro, check out their Facebook page here, or, if you're really old fashioned, call them at (610) 525-4410.