Valley Bistro A Foodie’s Paradise

Valley Bistro’s owner, Jacqueline Ferentinos, is no newcomer to the restaurant business. As the granddaughter of James Mallios, originator of the Keystone Diner, and daughter of Keystone Diner’s current owner, John Mallios, she is the third generation of the Mallios family to provide the area with excellent food and friendly service. She and her husband, Steve Ferentinos, also owned Brick City Bar and Grille, a successful local midtown restaurant which was known for its upgraded grill food and hip city vibe. They later sold the restaurant to Ted’s Bar and Grill owners, Romeo La Marco and John Saad.

Ferentinos says, “Although my grandparents and parents tried to move me toward a different career path, the restaurant business is in my blood. I helped in my dad’s restaurant as a teenager because I was expected to work and earn my own money for extra things that I wanted to have. The work ethic of our family is very strong.”

Ferentinos went to college and earned a master’s degree in both clinical psychology and Spanish and for a few years travelled around the state working as the lead therapist for an organization in the Harrisburg area. She met her husband, Steve, who also has a background in the restaurant industry, and this is when they decided to open Brick City. “My husband and I have become infamous for going into an area with a failing restaurant business and bringing the business and the area back to life. For Valley Bistro, I had a vision, and we chose this location in 2018 because we knew the area had growth potential and in four short years this area has built up to include UPMC, Hershey Medical Center, and the operations center for Members First Corporation, not to mention other small businesses and grocery stores.” Valley Bistro grew in its location from just a small space in a mini mall to a business which now takes up the entire structure.

Although Valley Bistro is a woman owned business, Ferentinos credits her husband with providing the support necessary for her business to grow and flourish. “I wouldn’t be able to do all this without my husband, Steve, who runs the back of the house as the lead cook; and as I like to say, I’m the brains and he’s the muscle that holds this entire business together.”

Ferentinos credits her background in psychology for helping her become a business owner that is totally tuned in to not only its varied customers’ needs but also to her hardworking staff. “Ironically, having this background makes it easy for me to listen and interact with customers who may be coming from the hospital after visiting family members; or maybe they have just come from an appointment in which they learned of a health issue, and they need that listening ear. Maybe they have just had a rough day and want a friendly interaction.”

The business model for Valley Bistro is preparing delicious and interesting food and serving it quickly. This is accomplished by having customers order at the counter, take a numbered table card holder, and pick out a table. The food is then brought to them, and wait staff checks back in on them and clears their table at the end of a meal. “Since we only serve breakfast and lunch, most people are in a hurry either because they are headed to work or have other tasks and they don’t have an hour to sit over a meal. They need the quick, friendly, and top-notch customer service.”

The food and ambiance have a big city feeling and although there are familiar items on the menu they are served with an interesting and sometimes unexpected flavor flair. Take for instance the Chicken and Waffles which is comprised of sugar pearl waffles, buttermilk fried chicken, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, served with a side of maple syrup. Another very popular item is the Crab Hash and Eggs made with lump crabmeat, Old Bay seasoned home fries with sautéed onions, served with two eggs which are topped with chipotle hollandaise and green onions, and a side of toast. If you have never had Breakfast Nachos, this is the place to find out what they are all about. For those who love a sweet treat for breakfast, there is Oreo Stuffed French Toast, or Chunky Monkey Waffles. And if you like a classic light breakfast, there are bagels, oatmeal, grits, yogurt, and fruit bowls on the menu.

Lunch is served all day with a wide variety of sandwiches and wraps with side dishes, salads, personal pizzas, burgers, and assorted a la carte dishes. As with the breakfast menu, the lunch menu also holds many surprises. In the pizza category alone, there are surprises like Crab Rangoon Pizza, Al Pacino’s Pie, Chicken Parm, and Boom-Boom Shrimp pies.

In addition to the regular menu items there are weekly specials, which are announced on Monday morning. Ferentinos says, “If I don’t have the specials listed online by 10 am I begin getting calls as many people just wait to see what surprises we will be serving for the week.”

Breakfast and lunch menus also include a menu that has been curated for the under twelve-year-old crowd. There are also choices which are gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan. Everything on the menu is made from scratch, in-house, except for the desserts which are made by a bakery in Reading.

Like her father at Keystone Diner, Ferentinos has items on the menus that have been named for each of her children, representing who her children are as foodies. Specials will even pop up that are named to honor her father, such as the Keystone Burger or the JM Sandwich. She says,

“The Keystone Diner is an integral part of our entire family, not just my dad and grandparents but everyone in our family. My grandparents have always been a pivotal part of my life and it was through the restaurant that we all learned our work ethics and service to the community that has informed our entire lives. We learned a very valuable lesson that when you have, you give back.” As an active member of the community through participation and sponsorship, Ferentinos recently sponsored a girls’ baseball team - for her, as a woman owning her own business, a very important way, to assist other young women in their effort to play ball just like the boys’ teams.

As a woman who is a business owner, Ferentinos wears many hats every day. She is a mother to three young children, takes care of a household, and runs her business. “My husband is integral in making all of this work, but I also come from a family that is filled with very strong women and I was raised knowing that with the support of family I could do everything necessary to have the life I want to have.”

Voters in Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply the Best yearly contest have voted Valley Bistro Simply The Best or Readers’ Choice every year since 2019 in the Breakfast category and the Brunch category, underscoring the public’s feeling about fantastic meals resulting from the hard work and innovation of Jacqueline and Steve Ferentinos.

Ferentinos mentioned that she is working on some new business ideas, so stay tuned for an update on that!

Valley Bistro is located at 4520 Valley Rd, Enola. The hours are 7 am to 2 pm daily for dine in or take out. The website is valleybistroenola. com. Facebook: ValleyBistroEnola. Find them on Instagram: valley.bistro. enola.