Ana Ferreira, "not without talking it over with my mother," added a touch of her own cooking heritage to the menu at Wild Rabbit Café in Gloucester. When asking her mother’s advice on whether she should try the foods she grew up with, as there were no Portuguese people in Gloucester that she knew of, her mother replied, "Portuguese people are not the people who eat Portuguese food. Try it." She did, and the additions have been very successful.

Ana, who had once worked with the Wild Rabbit in its original location on Main Street, became the proprietor in December 2010 and opened her business in January 2011. "Being available, I didn’t want to see it close; I bought it. I was nervous but had once owned my own photography business so had a little business experience."

After four months of running her own restaurant, Ana is still very enthusiastic. "I have a wonderful cook, but if necessary, I can get in there and cook. I try to stay focused on the business end of what has to be done. I do cook at home for the children. My oldest daughter is 12 and I have a twin girl and boy age 10. They are getting to where they can help out a little, although sometimes I think they get uninterested in it."

The Wild Rabbit is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday through Thursday 9-7 and Friday and Saturday 9-9, with live music and open mike on Saturday nights. "We have about 10 employees who are all great. We have wine and beer and we are trying to cater to a wide range of clientele. The people have been very supportive. We found Gloucester while vacationing in Williamsburg and it’s the wonderful people here who make it so nice."

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