AGAWAM – Auntie Cathie’s Kitchen, a gluten and allergy-free restaurant known for its fresh ingredients and baked goods, has relocated from West Springfield to Agawam.

On April 21, owner Cathie A. Cappa closed the doors to her West Springfield location, where she had been running a full-service restaurant for five years, and consolidated her restaurant into a bakery-café located in Cooper’s Commons on May 2. The bakery will continue to serve some of the restaurant’s former staples, including the grilled meatloaf sandwich with cranberry mayo, and will also serve light breakfast fare, lunch and coffee. Everything the café serves – from the treats, to salads, to soups and sandwiches – is made from scratch using ingredients from local farms, according to Cappa. Some of the farms the business supports are Blossoming Acres in Southwick, The Kitchen Garden in Sunderland, Barnum & Buckley in Southwick and Gray Dog’s Farm in Huntington.

Cappa told Reminder Publications she made the decision to relocate after her five-year-lease ended in West Springfield, knowing she wanted to convert the restaurant into a smaller operation.

“The restaurant business is extremely hard, and it takes up all of your time. I knew that I had the option to sign my lease again for another five years, but five is a big commitment – with anything,” she said. “I’ve been in the business most of my life and I’ve had no free time either. It was really a quality-of-life choice, it wasn’t about the location and it had nothing to do with West Springfield. It was just time for me to change and slow down.”

The owner of Cooper’s Commons approached Cappa last year to offer a spot at 159 Main St. Cappa said she immediately fell in love with the location, and that it is slightly bigger than her previous space at 217 Elm St. in West Springfield. The new Auntie Cathie’s now features an outdoor patio.

The bakery also offers catering services and has a Food Truck named “Sophia.” The bakery can serve private parties, intimate receptions, bridal and baby showers and Farm to Table dinners for up to 50 people. It also includes weddings, backyard graduations, birthdays or other events for up to 200 people. On top of serving private parties, Cappa said the bakery could cater corporate lunches, as well as provide on-site catering at its location in Cooper’s Commons.

Cappa, who opened Auntie Cathie’s in 2005, is a veteran in the restaurant business. She received a lot of support during her days as the owner of the former 3 Café, which she started in Springfield’s Forest Park neighborhood.

The bakery-café owner said she is looking forward to settling down in Agawam for the time being and is thankful for the support she has received so far.

“Moving is like reinventing yourself. You’re making it more interesting for the people who follow you, but you’re also making it more interesting for yourself,” she said. “You never want to burn out, and that was what was happening in West Springfield. With this change, I feel like I woke up. And I just can’t be thankful enough.”