Led by Angela Catania, Bedda is designed to operate as a flexible daytime café and evening gathering spot, offering pastries, focaccia sandwiches, gelato, and deli-style selections during the day before transitioning into a relaxed, small-plates and vermouth-forward bar experience at night. Catania, who also operates Carbon Angela’s Kitchen nearby, has framed the concept as deeply personal and rooted in family, warmth, and approachability. Early service is expected to function as a soft opening period, allowing the team to fine-tune operations before fully settling into regular hours.
While Bedda, which means "beautiful" in Sicilian, marks an exciting refresh for the Juniper Street address, its opening also lands within a broader pattern of ownership shifts involving Buona Forchetta-linked properties over the few years. The space previously housed Matteo, the nonprofit bakery founded by Buona Forchetta’s Matteo Cattaneo, which permanently closed in late December 2025 amid a turbulent period for the restaurant group following last year’s highly publicized federal worksite enforcement action. No criminal charges have been publicly announced against Cattaneo to date, although subsequently-released documents indicated a federal investigation was ongoing, although it has not resulted in a publicly disclosed resolution.
Public filings show that BF MATTEO LLC, the parent entity associated with the Bedda space, was listed solely under Cattaneo’s name in a Statement of Information filed November 7, 2025. A subsequent Statement of Information filed January 28, 2026 lists Angela Catania as the principal. The change reflects a formal transfer of control prior to Bedda’s opening. Restaurant ownership transitions are common in the hospitality industry and can occur for a range of reasons, including restructuring, financing, or strategic repositioning. Still, the timing has drawn attention given other recent adjustments within the Buona Forchetta orbit.
In addition to the Matteo space transition, other Buona Forchetta-affiliated properties have seen notable changes, including the earlier transfer of Carbon to Catania and the restructuring of Forchettaboutit in Encinitas, which was also transferred to an associate of the Buona Forchetta family of restaurants. Viewed collectively, the sequence suggests a period of internal realignment for the group, though no detailed public explanation has been offered outlining the long-term strategy behind these moves.
For now, Bedda stands on its own as a new addition to South Park’s dining landscape, bringing a fresh identity to a familiar address. Whether the recent wave of ownership changes signals a permanent reshaping of the Buona Forchetta footprint or simply a series of independent business decisions remains to be seen.
Bedda is located at 3015 Juniper Street in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood and is currently in soft opening. For updates, follow @bedda.sp on Instagram.
Originally published on March 1, 2026.
