Owner Gabe Barker’s enthusiasm for serving the community quality food stems from being involved with the restaurant industry at a young age. His parents, Karen and Ben Barker, owned a Triangle-area restaurant, Magnolia Grill.
Previously, Barker worked at various restaurants in San Francisco. His experiences have caused him to develop a passion for pizza.
“My entire dream when I first moved to San Francisco was to hopefully one day potentially have this opportunity to be able to move back here to cook with my parents,” Barker said.” “I’m really excited to try and grow and be a part of the community.”
Opening at the end of 2015, Pizza Mercato will offer pizza Americano style pizza, as well as other menu items.
“I think one of the beautiful things about pizza is that it really does attract people of all ages,” Barker said.
Belly Blast studio opens its doors
Professional dancer, Jessica Hannan Sultan, has created an alternative exercise program and dance studio, Belly Blast, which opened in August.
Belly Blast, both the name of the studio and the workout, is a modified form of belly dance combining belly dancing with resistance training.
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“What you get is a really incredible core and cardio workout from the first time you come to the studio,” Hannan said.
The inspiration for Belly Blast came from Hannan’s years of experience teaching and performing belly dance in Canada.
“Everybody enjoys belly dance,” Hannan said. “(Belly dance) captures your imagination, provides a great workout and you feel beautiful while you’re dancing.”
Belly Blast embraces these qualities of belly dance while simplifying the movement and reducing the risk of injury.
On Saturday and Oct. 17, Belly Blast will offer free classes at the studio, located at 300 S. Elliot Rd.
