'It's All About Family Now': Beverly's Beloved Stephy's Kitchen Sold After 30 Years

BEVERLY, MA - Alex Brownlee said she literally grew up in the beloved Beverly breakfast and brunch staple Stephy's Kitchen founded by her parents when she was just 4 years old.

But after 30 years of ownership — the last 10 running the business with her mother, Valeri Moutsoulas, since her father, Charlie, passed away — her family decided it was time to sell the venerable spot on Beckford Street.

"My mother was ready to retire and I am looking to start a new chapter in my life," Brownlee told Patch on Wednesday — one day after the sale to Andri Bena, owner of the Market St. Cafe in Danvers. "It was all about my mom and her retirement. She's been working so long.

"It felt right. It was the right time for both of us."

Brownlee said it has been a challenging couple of years for her family with her brother's death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) last year and her sister's ongoing battle against the progressive neurodegenerative disease.

"This is all about family now," she said. "This way it gives us more time to spend with family. More free time. More quality time."

She said she and her mother will miss the staff and customers — who came to be like family as well over the past three decades.

"We forged a lot of friendships and relationships in 30 years," she said. "We will miss the restaurant a lot. It sometimes felt like I lived in the restaurant."

She added that the Peabody residents came to view themselves as part of the Beverly community after all these years.

The good news for customers and staff is that Brownlee said Bena is an elementary school classmate of hers who intends to "keep everything the same."

"We actually have a great relationship," she said. "He has been in the restaurant business since he was a young kid and he wants to keep everything the same — keep all the same staff and keep it going."

Brownlee sent a message to the fans of the restaurant on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

"My mother and I close this chapter of our lives with my father in our hearts, and look forward to what's ahead," she said. "We have left you in the incredible hands of someone who is excited to keep the Stephy's Kitchen legacy going.

"How lucky we are to have something so special, that makes saying goodbye so hard."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)