Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

WYOMING — For four decades, Frank DeViva has worked in the baking industry.

He has become well known in the Wyoming Valley for his popular Bakehouse in Kingston, which closed a year ago, and more recently for operating Isle of Coffee in the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming since last March.

But 40 years in the profession have taken their toll, and DeViva is hanging up his apron to focus on his health and his family.

Isle of Coffee has closed, DeViva said Sunday, and the business is for sale.

“It is really unfortunate,” a tearful DeViva said. “But I’d rather somebody take over the business, which has been a blessing to us.”

The “bagel baker from Queens,” as DeViva called himself, had served as a division coordinator for Wegmans and operated two places similar to Bakehouse on Long Island before opening the popular Kingston bakery and cafe 16 years ago.

Six years ago he had a heart attack. Shortly before Thanksgiving 2018 he was diagnosed with another blockage and had to have an additional stent implanted.

In the wake of that heart scare, DeViva and wife Patty decided it was time to close the Bakehouse — it was a labor of love, but one which was a seven-day-a-week labor for DeViva.

The smaller Isle of Coffee was intended to be a way for DeViva to continue doing the baking he loved, at a less rigorous pace, and ease toward retirement. As he told the Times Leader last year: “I need to come up with a semi-retired version of myself that’s more manageable than this schedule.”

DeViva has lost weight, focused on his diet and cholesterol, and said his cardiac health is considerably better today.

But another old ailment continues to plague him: “I’ve had back issues for decades,” DeViva said.

In the wake of his heart attack, DeViva had scaled back the physical elements of the job somewhat at Bakehouse.

At Isle of Coffee, he was back on his feet more, toting bags and boxes and exerting himself more than he had in years. The heavy lifting left him in agony.

“Now, I can stand just about 5 to 7 minutes before I am in excruciating pain,” DeViva said.

While he has been seeing specialists to help diagnose and treat the causes, DeViva simply decided that his health had to come first and it was time to close the business.

He and Patty have three children and four grandchildren. A conversation with son Frank Jr., who is serving with the U.S. Navy in Japan, helped DeViva make up his mind.

“My son told me, ‘dad, don’t die before I come home,’” DeViva said, choking up as he recalled the exchange. “So I’m trying not to.”

DeViva said that the secret to success for many well-known bakery owners in our area has been their large families who have worked at the businesses for generations, together with large staffs.

“My family has been smart enough not to get into the food business,” he quipped.

So DeViva is hoping someone with a passion for the field will pick up where he left off.

Isle of Coffee has been “set up by a guy with 40 years of experience who truly loves to bake,” DeViva said.

So far he has had some expressions of interest in the business, but nothing definite yet. Anyone who is interested can call DeViva at 570-479-4511.

DeViva said he will miss the many loyal customers he has known over the years, with whom he enjoyed the pleasures of holding court in his restaurants over coffee and pastries. He is grateful for their patronage, and for the blessings the businesses have brought.

“I am a Christian, and I have a supreme faith that everything is in the Lord’s hands,” he said.

Isle of Coffee in the Midway Shopping Center, seen here, has closed. Owner-operator Frank DeViva is looking to sell the business due to health concerns.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_82843707_584715822382112_546773384302690304_n-1.jpg.optimal.jpgIsle of Coffee in the Midway Shopping Center, seen here, has closed. Owner-operator Frank DeViva is looking to sell the business due to health concerns. Roger DuPuis | Times Leader

Isle of Coffee owners Patty and Frank DeViva organize the display case of pastries inside their shop at Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming in March of last year.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_Coffee2.CMYK_-1.jpg.optimal.jpgIsle of Coffee owners Patty and Frank DeViva organize the display case of pastries inside their shop at Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming in March of last year. Times Leader file photo

Isle of Coffee owners Frank and Patty DeViva prepare a draft latte with cold brew coffee inside their shop at Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming in March of last year. The shop has closed, Frank DeViva said Sunday, as he grapples with ongoing health issues.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_Coffee3.CMYK_-1.jpg.optimal.jpgIsle of Coffee owners Frank and Patty DeViva prepare a draft latte with cold brew coffee inside their shop at Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming in March of last year. The shop has closed, Frank DeViva said Sunday, as he grapples with ongoing health issues. Times Leader file photo
DeViva: ‘I’d rather somebody take over the business, which has been a blessing to us’

By Roger DuPuis

[email protected]