AMESBURY — Adele Fasso is living the "dolce vita" as she spends her time in the small cafe on Friend Street she has now owned for four months.

Fasso, of Amesbury, took over Maggie Sundae in late August after the former owners wanted to branch out and do other things, Fasso said. Since then, Fasso has been working to maintain the integrity of the business and keep things the same while adding new features she thinks Amesbury residents are ready for.

"We are keeping it as is and adding soups and paninis, which have worked out quite well, and our Italian pastry selection," Fasso said. "It has been phenomenal."

Fasso, who has dreamed of running her own coffee shop since she lived in Rome, Italy, for two years before marrying a Roman man and moving back to Amesbury, said owning Maggie Sundae has been a "dream come true."

Fasso herself is Sicilian. Her two boys, Stefano, 9, and Alessandro, 7, help around the coffee shop with their father, Danilo.

"We have a bakery in Milan ship pastries to us once a week," Fasso said. "I tell people, 'these are the real McCoy.'"

White chocolate and dark chocolate mousse profiteroles, strawberry mousse cake and Italian style creme brulee are just some of the weekly offerings that arrive at the shop each Thursday morning.

Fasso worked at Ristorante Molise in Wakefield before taking a job as a paralegal in Framingham. All the while, anytime an opportunity to cater an event or office party came up, she jumped at it.

"The whole time I was looking for a space," Fasso said, noting she recently starting working with a broker from the Boston Restaurant Group. "Cooking, entertaining are my hobbies; they are fun for me."

Fasso has lived in Amesbury since 2003 and saw the transition of the location from a laundry to book shop to coffee shop.

"Every time a business closed, I thought about buying it; I had my eye on it," Fasso said. "This time, it was meant to be."

Fasso said she will not change the name of the business and will keep the bright yellow and blue color scheme as a tribute to the shop that has been so successful up to this point.

"This is Maggie Sundae; I want to keep it like that," Fasso said. "It was born as a fun, family place, and I really couldn't change it. It has worked so far, why change?"

Fasso said she hopes to be able to rent kitchen space at a local church in the future in order to grow her ability to cater events.

As for new coffee shops moving into town, Fasso says what sets Maggie Sundae apart is the family-friendly atmosphere you won't find other places.

"For Amesbury to grow I want every business to succeed," Fasso said. "Variety is good, but Maggie Sundae is fun, and it is more kid-oriented. Amesbury is a family town."