The Muffin Shop opens its doors at 6 a.m., welcoming the first customers of the day. Walking in to the smell of fresh coffee and an array of warm muffins, commuters grab their morning fuel.
Sixteen different kinds of muffins line the muffin trays, from pumpkin to peach. Blueberry is the best seller, with oatmeal raspberry a close second. Pumpkin is always a crowd pleaser in the fall.
Behind the counter you’ll usually find Luisa or Celeste Capasso, the owners, who greet customers by name.
The Muffin Shop is not your average corner bakery. Many locals regularly meet friends and linger over breakfast and lunch. Arthur and Sallie Cote sit at a window table every morning.
“A day at the Muffin Shop is a good day!” says Arthur, laughing. He and his wife meet a group of locals here most days of the week. “I get a blueberry muffin every morning,” Arthur says.
Bill Hatch started coming every day 20 years ago as part of his morning routine after he retired. “My favorite is a chocolate chip muffin,” he said.
‘We have seasonal muffins all year-round, such as pistachio for St. Patrick’s Day and apple cinnamon when it’s fall. A lot of muffins we carry all year-round, so customers don’t have to wait until the next season to get them,” said Luisa Capasso.
Andrea Bunde, a member of the Wolfpack swimming group at Devereux Beach, joined in.
“I’ve been coming here for at least 10 years. It’s part of my day. It gives you structure. It’s a mini-community center,” Bunde said. “We care about each other, too.”
On Thursdays, a group of 15 or 16 retired men meet for lunch where the conversation flows as easily as the coffee.
It’s time to make the muffins
Rising between 1 and 2 a.m., Celeste begins his day with baking dozens of the crowd-pleasing muffins, one batch at a time. The shop’s handwritten chalkboard breakfast menu is loaded with other breakfast items including pancakes, French toast, waffles and omelets.
As for their lunch crowd, their sandwiches and paninis sell out fast, too. Ask them their customers’ favorites, and they’ll point to a few bestsellers: turkey clubs, grilled cheeses and turkey avocado melts. Desserts are always a big hit.
“Every item we make here is all from scratch — biscotti, cookies and hermits, you name it,” Luisa added.
Joe Frogger cookies are always a big hit with customers.
“It’s a Marblehead staple. We’re the only cafe that makes them from scratch. We made 1,000 cookies for the grand opening of the Joe Brown School a few years ago. We ship them all over the country,” Luisa said.
Helping Luisa and Celeste is cook Maribel DeLeon who arrives at 7 every morning and helps prepare breakfast and lunch. Luisa takes over at 10:30 a.m. and stays until closing at 4 p.m.
In the summer months, it’s nonstop. The shop fills with tourists when the sidewalks are busy.
“We get a lot of big orders for boaters: tons of breakfast meals and sandwiches,” Luisa said. “We sell several hundred muffins during the week and three to four hundred on the weekends. Thankfully, we have five or six high school and college girls who help take orders and serve food. We’ve been very fortunate to have had one college girl for five years, Laura Zisson, as well as her sister, Emily, who’s still in high school. Our customers really appreciate them.”
Match made in Italy
Luisa and Celeste met in Naples, Italy, in 1987, when Luisa was on what was supposed to be a two-week vacation after her graduation from IT Tech in Woburn.
“Instead, I ended up staying two years and getting married before moving to Marblehead to open up the Muffin Shop,” Luisa said.
Luisa’s four brothers are also in the food business.
In 1988, Luisa, her brother, Tony, and Celeste leased the Muffin Shop from the Pennis, the original owners. The Capassos stayed when Crosby’s bought the building.
“We have been living right above the store ever since. We raised our three boys here. Being very close to my kids was very convenient for us,” said Luisa.
The Capassos have created lifelong bonds with many customers.
“They all know us. We treat them like they are family,” Luisa said. “I guess it was all meant to be. I guess it was destiny that brought us here.”
