By TESS FICCAGLIA
Karla Ibarra contemplates a few moments. She wants to make sure she gets the best words to describe why she is so dedicated to the businesses owned by the Ferrone Family. She says it is their dedication to
making their employees part of that family that keeps hers and her staff running at optimum levels.
Ms. Ibarra is the General Manager of The Meatball Café located at 2412 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, Texas. She goes on to say that is what has kept her working for John Gianni and Rhonda Ferrone for over
four years. She has held many positions both at The Meatball Café as well as Mr. and Mrs. Ferrone’s sister venue Longboard Bar & Grill.
She was trained as a chef and quickly showed where her talents lie. Managing is her forte. Many of the staff has come up from dish washers to chefs by her hand in teaching them culinary skills that The Meatball
Café thrive on. There are always changes and tweaking to get that perfect marinara sauce that covers their infamous meatballs or the delicate white wine citrus sauce enveloping scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams,
calamari, and cherry tomatoes on a bed of house made linguini pasta for the Frutti Di Mare Linguini dish.
Mr. William Abete, the bartender, pours a glass of house wine, Woodbridge Pinot Noir as he places menus on the bar. He welcomes all his customers with a heartfelt “Welcome to The Meatball Café”. He asks if his
late afternoon guests would like an appetizer. He recommends the Meatball Sampler consisting of wings, honey garlic or buffalo style, Mozzarella sticks, bruschetta crostini and fried calamari. This will give them a
little taste of what The Meatball Café serves up. He places a huge plate of piping hot delicacies, cooked to perfection in front of the new customers.
Mr. Abete introduces Megan Hepburn a server at The Meatball Café. She is bubbly, energetic and loves her employers as well as everyone she works with. Ms. Hepburn does say it is difficult working in a place where everything on the menu is delicious.
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