When Chef Joe Sciarrotta lost his job during the coronavirus pandemic, the future felt uncertain. After decades in the food and beverage industry, including leading dining services for a senior living community, he suddenly found himself at a crossroads.
His wife, Kathy, had an idea.
“Get a food truck,” she told him based on experience operating an ice cream truck for years.
“I said she was out of her mind,” Sciarrotta recalled with a laugh. “Needless to say, we bought a food truck.”
That leap of faith in January 2021 sparked something bigger than either of them imagined and the latest chapter in the story of their family business.
Today, Sciarrotta is the owner of Hey Bébé Where Yat? — a thriving food truck and a brick-and-mortar restaurant that brings bold New Orleans flavor and heartfelt hospitality to Maylene, Alabama.
His son, Joey, who has been working with him since age 15, runs the kitchen. Kathy is there too, tapping her skills to incorporate an ice-cream bar into the restaurant and build the Hey Bébé Where Yat brand and business through her posts on social media.
“The restaurant business is definitely a family affair for us,” Sciarrotta said. “Kathy and I have been married for 22 years in July and her confidence in me and my craft have really paid off. Her support and dedication to our family and our business and her marketing skills has taken this business to the next level.”
Deno Posey of Regions narrates a culinary tour of the restaurant.
Built on Resilience and Relationships
Sciarrotta’s journey began long before the food truck. Raised in New Orleans, he carried with him a deep passion for food and a drive to create something meaningful for his family and community.
“I wanted to make a name for myself and support my family,” he said. “Creating and serving great food was the way.”
But talent alone doesn’t build a business, Sciarrotta added — relationships do. That’s why he works hard to know his customers, often greeting them with a hug so everyone feels seen and cared for.
“Everybody wants to feel special,” he says. “That, to me, is success. Their happiness is what makes us thrive.”
Sciarrotta looked for, and found, a bank that shared those same values.
A Bank That Shows Up
For more than 25 years, and across multiple states and stages of life, Sciarrotta has trusted Regions.
“There’s a lot of banks out there, but with Regions, I’ve always been able to walk in and find someone who knows me and someone who cares,” he said.
When the opportunity came to expand from a food truck to a full-service restaurant, that relationship made a difference. Financing wasn’t easy amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, but a Regions home equity loan provided the funding he needed to open his doors.
“Opening a restaurant is not cheap,” Sciarrotta said. “Regions helped me get there.”
Today, his restaurant seats about 50 guests and employs a team of 8 to 14 people, all cross-trained to work both the restaurant and the food truck.
That kind of growth is what Relationship Banker Da’Qwon Carr works to support every day.
Our goal is to be accessible, dependable and focused on what each business owner needs to keep moving forward.
Da’Qwon Carr, Relationship Banker at Regions
“Small businesses like Chef Joe’s are the backbone of our communities,” said Carr, who works with him through the Helena, Alabama, branch. “Our goal is to be accessible, dependable and focused on what each business owner needs to keep moving forward.”
For Sciarrotta, that support is essential.
“As a small business owner, I don’t have time to chase answers,” he said. “With Regions, I don’t have to follow up. They’re there when I need them.”
Serving More Than Meals
At Hey Bébé Where Yat?, everything is made from scratch, from the Creole seasoning Sciarrotta jars himself to the dishes that reflect his New Orleans roots. But what he’s serving goes beyond the menu. That’s a place to gather, connect and feel at home.
“If I’m here from seven in the morning to late at night, I’m going to have fun,” he said. “I’m going to build relationships. That’s what got me here.”
Sciarrotta said it’s also what keeps him going through long days, tough decisions and the constant challenges of running a small business.
His advice to other entrepreneurs is simple: “Don’t quit. Don’t quit. Don’t quit.”
As a small business owner, you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got.
Chef Joe Sciarrotta
“When people say ‘buy local’ or ‘shop local,’ that matters,” he said. “I’m providing something that would be missing in this area if I threw in the towel. As a small business owner, you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got.”
From a bold idea sparked in a living room to a growing business rooted in community, Sciarrotta sees the impact he’s making every day in the personal connections made with every bite.
“If I can come in here and make a go of it,” he said, “then I know we’re doing something right for our family, for our team and for the people who walk through that door.”
See the Small Business section of Regions.com to learn more about the bank’s free, personalized Regions Greenprint® plan and other services, insights and tools to help businesses grow and achieve their goals.
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Note: Experiences and opinions stated by customers are their own. References to companies in this article not owned by Regions do not imply endorsement.