Christina Augustine is following in her grandfather’s footsteps — and her mother’s and her aunt’s.
Next month, Augustine, 42, of Addison will become the general manager of Ferrante’s Lakeview — a restaurant and special events venue that has operated off Route 30 in Hempfield for about 70 years. Her grandfather, John Ferrante, was one of the founders.
What started as a two-room bar and restaurant has expanded over the years into a restaurant, banquet facility and ballroom — complete with an outdoor pavilion for wedding ceremonies and a view of the seven-acre Mountain Valley Lake.
Augustine worked at the venue in high school and college before taking a job as a wedding planner at Nemacolin Resort.
She returned to Ferrante’s full-time in 2020 — working alongside her mother, Susan Domasky, and aunt, Cindy Henderson, who have run the venue since their father died in 2010. Henderson’s husband, Dave, is the executive chef.
Domasky and the Hendersons will retire next month, handing the business over to Augustine and a new owner, Greensburg attorney Greg Moore.
The family has been looking for a buyer since 2023. But none of the potential buyers aligned with what the family was looking for in a new owner, said Domasky, 72, of Unity.
“We wanted to (keep) the beauty of the property with the lake,” she said. “We didn’t want something coming in like a car wash, a strip mall. We were a little leery of them, because we wanted the whole community to still enjoy this piece of property.”
When Moore, a longtime family friend, expressed interest in the venue, Domasky knew he would be a good fit to take over the business.
“He’s a very nice man, (has) a lot of new ideas. We wish him a lot of luck and hope his business venture is very productive — which I’m sure it will be,” Domasky said.
Moore will take ownership and Augustine will become general manager March 31, she said.
The restaurant will be called Swiftee’s Lakeview. Moore plans to turn the restaurant space into a tavern — adding a bar, installing an outdoor dining patio and expanding its hours, Augustine said.
Renovations will begin in April and, ideally, conclude in July, she said.
“I think that’s a huge thing that’s going to set us apart in the community,” Augustine said, “because nobody else really has that besides the casino.”
All events booked at the venue for this year and next will be honored, and the restaurant will remain open for its usual lunch hours — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays — during the renovations.
Augustine cannot wait to get started.
“I’m excited for it. I already love working with our staff,” she said. “We’re very close, so it’s just going to be even more fun in that way.
“I’m just really looking forward to changing things, updating things, bringing new life into the place.”