New Bethel restaurant opens its doors 

A new restaurant called Breaking Bread Café has opened on Pigeon Road in the Bethel community of Haywood County.

Steven and Barbara Eaffaldano have operated a concession business at festivals and events from Knoxville to Raleigh. However, when a store front location around the corner from their own home in Bethel came available, they decided it was time to go back indoors.

Breaking Bread Café is a breakfast and lunch restaurant. Its menu features hoagies, wraps, pork meatballs, and eggplant and breakfast biscuits in addition to daily specials. Gluten-free, sugar-free and vegetarian dishes are available. 

Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

The Eaffaldanoes have extensive restaurant experience, having both worked at Waynesville Country Club and Pasquales as well as other eateries. Barbara also attended the Restaurant School in Philadelphia. The couple moved to the area 20 years ago.

828.648.3838. 

MedWest’s providers rank among the top

Fourteen physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants and three physician practices at MedWest-Harris/Swain/Franklin ranked in the top 10 percent of the nation’s providers for patient satisfaction, according to Professional Research Consultants, a consulting firm that benchmarks data from hundreds of hospitals around the United States.

The providers and practices both received a five-star award for quality care based on patient satisfaction feedback collected through patient surveys. 

The top-ranking providers were Drs. Charles Toledo, Angela Connaughton, David Zimmerman, Clay Smallwood, Larry Supik, Steve Queen, Jennifer Bunnow, William Handley, Teresa Green, Bill Sims, Bill Ralston and Waverly Green. Hannah Hill, a physician assistant, and Jodie Wade, a nurse practitioner, also received awards. Physician practices were Mountain Regional Gynecology, WNC Pediatric & Adolescent Care and Sylva Orthopaedic Associates.

$400,000 donated for HRMC renovation

The Haywood Regional Medical Center Foundation donated $400,000 to MedWest Haywood for renovations to the hospital’s fourth floor, which is home to the Women’s Care Unit and the Progressive Care Unit.

Progressive Care Unit, or PCU, is a “step-down” from the Intensive Care Unit and acts as a bridge between the ICU and the medical unit. The Women’s Care Unit cares for GYN surgical patients, labor and delivery and OB triage for those expecting mothers who may need to be assessed if they think that they may be in labor.

MedWest-Haywood will receive half of the funds upfront; the remaining will come from proceeds from the Foundation’s annual Golf & Gala Aug. 27-28.  

Haywood sheriff’s office extends hours

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has extended its hours to better meet the needs of the public. The new hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher said too many people had to either leave work early or report to work late to take care of business at the sheriff’s office. Now there is more time to seek services such as applying for and purchasing gun permits, and making and getting copies of incident reports. The extended hours are being provided at no additional cost to taxpayers.

The Sheriff’s Office always provides emergency service to residents and visitors of Haywood County 24 hours a day, seven days a week year-round.