Mediterra brings European flair to Butler County
Nick Ambeliotis — the owner of Mediterra Bakehouse, Mediterra Cafes and Kapnós Cigars — said authentic, high-quality products have been the main ingredients of his success.
Heavily inspired by his time in Europe, Ambeliotis owns what he said is one of the largest artisan bakeries in the United States. Mediterra Bakehouse products can be found in Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Giant Eagle Market District, Ritz-Carlton hotels and in one of its four cafe locations.
Mediterra’s newest cafe is located in Seven Fields in Northpointe Circle plaza, just off Route 228. It is his only Butler County location.
“It’s in a beautiful plaza. It’s got all the right components. We have a beautiful outdoor cafe there.
“It’s a real winner, and it’s done extremely well from the first day.”
Also in Northepointe Circle plaza is Ambeliotis’ cigar store and lounge, Kapnós Cigars. The name comes from the Greek word for “smoke” to keep the business aligned with Mediterra’s European branding, he said.
The essence of Europe is baked into every aspect of the businesses, from decor to ingredients. In fact, searching for high-quality overseas ingredients was once Ambeliotis’ entire job.
From 1997 to 2002, he worked as a forager for a Cleveland-based importing company.
“I was in Europe almost every month,” he said. “I could be in London buying cheddar, in Spain on anchovy boats looking for a great jarred or canned anchovy, and being stationed in Paris.”
He would then transfer ingredients to a Parisian wholesale market, which, he said, filled him with great inspiration.
Soon, Ambeliotis said he began to feel it was time to move on and had a conversation with a spiritual father named elder Ephraim, who encouraged Ambeliotis to open a bakery with the goal of bringing nourishment and joy to the world.
The former wholesaler and single dad then sold his house and moved his four children into an apartment to fund the bakery.
Ambeliotis claimed Mediterra Bakehouse continued to grow for 16 years before, he said, he felt called to return to food.
“I thought I would do this cafe concept, which was European in style, where you would go in, and it would be like a marketplace,” he said. “You could buy a loaf of bread, get a pastry, buy a beautiful piece of cheese, enjoy a beautiful coffee bar.
Some Mediterra Cafes sell alcohol, too.
Architect Wildman Chalmers designed the interior, while Ambeliotis focused on finding the right food, using connections from his wholesaling days.
Ambeliotis said Mediterra Cafes are “real farm-to-table,” and highlighted how everything is made from scratch with fresh ingredients. He also said the cafes’ coffee was rigorously researched before his team decided to source it from Parlor Coffee in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Sewickley location opened in July 2018, followed by the Mt. Lebanon location in November 2020 and a Lawrenceville spot in March 2023.
By then, Ambeliotis’ team designed a commissary program to guarantee consistency across different stores, he said. At the Mt. Lebanon location, Mediterra Cafes makes all their vinaigrettes and quiches and roasts all their proteins. They transfer items nightly to the other locations.
“We accomplished what we wanted to — the consistency was there, the food was great,” he said.
He then wanted to expand north. After reviewing several locations, the Seven Fields Mediterra Cafe opened in December 2024. A vacancy in the plaza led the owner to create a cigar store and lounge, which opened in May 2025.
Ambeliotis said the process of cigar-making, which involves fermentation, connected to his love of fermented foods like bread and cheese. He began to research this process and develop his own line of cigars with tobacco from Nicaragua.
In the back of the store is a lounge Ambeliotis claims has state-of-the-art filtration. Another lounge is now open in Sewickley, though it does not include retail.
Kapnós Cigars hosts educational events with live demonstrations from experienced speakers, Ambeliotis said. Currently his team is working on hosting a ladies’ night.
The lounge is also available to rent after-hours for events, as is Mediterra. Ambeliotis said these events have been quite successful, beckoning in diverse crowds who are eager to learn.
It’s a small population that smokes cigars, he said, “but they’re very loyal and dedicated customers that search you out.”
“We’re excited to find more of those people and teach them what makes us excited,” he said.
