As the old saying goes there's good news and there's bad news. Which do you want first? The bad news? Okay. Back Street Cafe and Catering is closing its restaurant doors for good at the end of this year.

After 26 years, the Back Street Cafe, of 4 East Federal Street, will no longer be a place where locals can gather for pizza, pasta, wine, and whatever scrumptious special that chef Mandy Hardesty has cooked up for the folks of Middleburg. And for many customers, that is sad news indeed. Life without the Back Street's tomato basil soup? Unthinkable. Back Street's Chicken Caesar no longer a phone call away? You better be kidding. No more Chevre Cappellini? Noooooooo, this can- not be happening.

But that is exactly what is happening and according to Tutti Perricone it really boils down to a sign of the times.

"Basically while the volume of catering has grown each and every year the restaurant has seen a slow but steady decline. I am guessing it's the economy and the fact that people just don't dine out as much as they used to. Meanwhile I'm busier with catering then I've ever been and that is where I want to focus my energy as Back Street moves forward."

And that folks is the good news. Back Street Catering will still be serving the people of this community for parties large and small and for anyone who has ever been a guest at one of the hundreds (if not thousands) of parties that Tutti has catered that is good news indeed.

Tutti opened the Backstreet Cafe in 1986 with the help of her parents, the late Charles and Jean Smith, long term residents of Middleburg. She approached her father about the idea at the tender age of 26 and was met with his wholehearted approval.

"Without hesitation my father went with me to the Middleburg Bank and cosigned on the dotted line for the loan I took out to get the business started." And the help wasn't only financial, "My mother's lemon bars were a staple of the desserts I offered in the early days. And on more then one occasion she cooked literally all night long to help me prepare for some large catering event. I couldn't have done it without them."

And though Tutti is the sole proprietress, Back Street has always been a bit of a family venture. Her sister Joanne Tibbs worked many parties in the early days and even now. after all these years. the ham biscuits are almost always prepared by Tutti's sister Jeanette Solomon.

Speaking of family Tutti even met her husband, Vince Perricone, because of the Back Street Cafe. She needed menus printed and headed over to the Middleburg Printer across the street from the restaurant to place the order. Vince Perricone, the owner, was the person with whom she consulted and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Vince has helped me on more catering gigs then any other one single person. He has grilled more tenderloin then any other man in Middleburg," Tutti said.

For anyone who knows the kind of people who work in the restaurant business the characters can be as colorful as any reality TV show. The tomato basil soup was created by an ex-felon freshly released from prison back in the 80's. Then there was the morning that a little voice in Tutti's head said "Look in the dumpster." She did and found a bus tub full of dirty dishes, thanks to an employee who didn't feel like washing them the night before, tossed into the bottom of it along with numerous pots and pans.

Or the employee who thought it would be amusing to let a stray cat spend the night in the restaurant.

"I have had the good, the bad, and the ugly but truthfully some of my best employees have remained with me for ten or more years, and in this business that is unusual."

In the spring of this year, Tutti was approached with the idea of cooking lunch for the students of Middleburg Academy. After one look at the sunny, spacious, and fully outfitted kitchen once run by the nuns of Notre Dame Academy she said yes she'd be happy to add lunch lady to her repertoire of culinary endeavors. So that is where Tutti can be found when she is not in her catering office alongside Vince at Middleburg Printers five days a week.

To celebrate a new beginning, Tutti will be hosting a New Year's Eve bash which will be held at Middleburg Academy on December 31st. Tutti, long known as the singing caterer, will be performing, accompanied by her piano player, Larry Haun. There will be champagne, wine, beer, heavy hors d'oeuvre stations, dessert, friends, and a few midnight kisses. Cost is $50.00 per person, so give her a call at 540 687-3154 or email her at bscafe@middleburg.com. It promises to be a great way to ring out 2011!

As Tutti looks forward to a full schedule for the Back Street Catering, the rest of us face life without the cafe. Evenings on the deck with friends, Tutti's booming laugh (you always knew if she was in the restaurant before you even got in the door by that very distinctive and infectious laugh!) along with more delicious lunches and dinner than most of us can even count, are retreating into the past.

Gazing out the window, reflecting on her role as restaurant owner, Tutti's final word on the cafe? "My parents would have been proud."