When the late business tycoon “Billy Kay” Kratsa would venture out, he always had a cigar in his mouth and armfuls of breads and pastries to distribute to friends and strangers.

“If he was going to a doctor’s office, he would bring enough for all of the nurses and staff,” Kratsa’s granddaughter, Kelly DiNatale, said.

The owner of longtime Harmar bakery Periwinkle’s, Kratsa would be thrilled to see his family resurrecting his passion with a new restaurant in O’Hara, DiNatale said.

Periwinkle’s Bakery & Café, a fifth-generation eatery, is expected to open in RIDC Park in coming weeks.

Perched alongside Route 28 at Exit 10, the modern café will have an obvious nod to the late patriarch’s affection for confections.

The bakery-centric business will open in three phases, with the pastry shop first.

Owners expect that, by summer, early morning coffee lovers will be streaming in at 6 a.m. for a specialty cup of joe and a sweet treat, crafted from a decades-old recipe.

A prepared food section with quick-grab salads, hummus and sandwiches will be next to open, followed by a “polished casual” sit-down restaurant that will feature up to eight entrees and will lean into fresh, locally sourced ingredients when possible.

The site sits on 2.8 acres and will take the place of the former Max & Erma’s.

It is expected to create 70 jobs, said family cousin Michael Kratsas, leader of development and startup for the new restaurant.

In line with today’s trends, Periwinkle’s will offer curbside pickup, online ordering and cashless payments.

“It’s for a community on the move,” Kratsas said.

Restaurant consultant Marc Teklinski said the multiphased restaurant will serve many purposes for busy families.

“You can grab a coffee and a snack, or you can get a quick lunch during a business meeting,” he said.

Kratsas said the building at 900 Gamma Drive was gutted after the former tenant left. Developers added about 1,000 square feet.

“We blew out the side of the building and installed garage doors with windows,” he said. “They’ll roll up in the summer and a full screen will come down.”

Seating capacity is about 200 people.

Periwinkle’s is a reincarnation of the beloved family bakery that began in Verona in the 1970s before becoming a mainstay along the commercial corridor in Harmar.

“People loved going there for years,” Kratsas said. “It was the foundation that created the family development.”

Kratsa was a prolific Pittsburgh businessman whose ventures included hotels, suburban entertainment, manufacturing and retail. Kratsa Properties included the SpringHill Suites on the North Shore, BladeRunners in Harmar and the Fox Chapel housing plan Forest Highlands Community Association, among many others.

“It was a very sad day to have to close the doors (in Harmar) when he passed away back in 2007,” DiNatale said. “We always wanted to open the bakery again one day.”

The new restaurant will be a family affair, with several of Kratsa’s grandchildren delving into the daily grind.

“My siblings and I have been scouring through hundreds of our grandfather’s old recipes to try and duplicate his different breads, danishes and cookies, which were all made from scratch,” DiNatale said. “All of our equipment is completely different, so it is taking us some time to adjust our mixing techniques and baking methods to our state-of-the-art equipment.”

On a recent weekday, the kitchen team whipped up nearly 40 dozen donuts trying to perfect the recipes.

DiNatale said the treats were doled out to friends and neighbors for feedback.

“Some went to a charity hockey tournament, some traveled to a baseball tournament and dozens more to a nursing home,” she said. “We even flagged down a couple of frequent walkers in RIDC Park.”

“My grandfather was extremely passionate about baking, a gift that he learned from his father,” she said.

“I like the idea of knowing that he has been in our building many times when it was Max and Erma’s. He would be very happy to see us carrying on our family tradition and to know we are now teaching it to our children, his great grandchildren.”

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