Chamber Presents Award to Bellas Restaurant

Editor's Note: the following is a copy of the Bellas Restaurant Award Presentation made on behalf of the Chamber at the monthly Chamber meeting this past Thursday, May 17th, at Regeneron:

For 33 years has served as the anchor of the Tarrytown community. Just recently, John Bellas who has been in the industry for many years. The name of the establishment and the staff will remain the same.

One could always count on a warm welcome from the three generations of Bellas – Gus, John and Dean – and their consistently prepared quality comfort food. Many of us remember the GM plant workers wrapped around the corner of Main Street waiting for the homemade donuts for which Bellas came to be noted. Gus (with fond remembrance), the founder of Bellas, generously gave away these donuts to one or the other by the end of each day. My high school students were always treated to a bunch on more occasions than I care to remember – Gus would always insist.

The Bellas family and their staff truly lived up to the adage of the old TV sitcom, Cheers – “where everybody knows your name and they are always glad you came.” Today wise restaurateurs know that great hospitality trumps food every time. The renowned NYC Restaurateur, Danny Meyer, has created a successful empire based on this principle. The Bellas family provided this right in our own backyard.

So, on behalf of the Sleepy Hollow-Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce, it is with great joy that I present this plaque to John and Dean Bellas as a token of our heartfelt gratitude for tremendous service to our community.

- Theresa McCarthy, Chamber Vice-President for Tarrytown