Debbie Croft: A place to rest and nest in foothills

Jon Pierre and Lois Moroni are known as Nana and Papa to the kids who stay at their award-winning bed-and-breakfast inn, the Restful Nest.

“We love bringing people together,” Jon says.

It usually isn’t long before guests become friends. Or even like family.

“Mangia, mangia,” Lois says to those seated around the table.

In Italian, it means, “Eat, eat.”

Morning sunlight streams through the windows, making the glassware sparkle.

Breakfast starts with fresh melon slices and berries arranged to please the eye and the taste buds. Gluten-free coffee cakes are made for individuals with special dietary needs. European guests appreciate waking to the familiar aroma of fresh-baked breads and pastries. Butter, jams and syrup, hot coffee, tea and juices complete the meal.

“But don’t fill up too much, because there’s more,” Lois cautions.

Soon she and Jon bring to the table a Gruyere, artichoke heart and herb frittata, dishes of bacon, potato patties, baked French toast and homemade sausage. Making sausage is a hobby that has produced 25 varieties so far.

The frittata is a family recipe shared by a woman from New York. Lois collects recipes from their guests, and plans to publish a Restful Nest cookbook.

She’s up at 4 or 5 in the morning to begin meal preparations. Breakfast lasts one to two hours, depending on everyone’s schedules.

Afterward, guests are not allowed to pick up a single dish or glass to clear the table. Their motto is: “Let us pamper you.”

The couple has always enjoyed entertaining. When Lois decided they could do what they love and get paid for it, they found a home with guest quarters near Mariposa. Lois opened the B&B, and Jon came up on the weekends until retiring from his sales career. They’ve been in the area for 18 years.

Their most interesting guests have been an English barrister, a supreme court justice from Kenya, a couple from Israel and a Chinese pilot who flies an Airbus.

Recently a 6-foot-4 man showed up at their door, asking if they remembered him. When he was a young teen, his parents and two brothers stayed there. He had been in Long Beach for a college trip and had a few days free before heading back home.

“All I remembered was ‘Ben Hur’ and an ‘eye,’” he told them, “but I knew I’d find you.” (They live near Ben Hur and Buckeye Roads.)

One couple stayed on the deck visiting with the Moronis for hours before leaving, and forgot to pay their bill. Lois forgot, too. Half an hour later the wife called, and Lois took the payment over the phone.

Whenever they invite friends or family for dinner, Jon cooks. He also makes teas from herbs grown in pots outside. His lemon, thyme and mint tea is fragrant and soothing.

Jon’s French accent is still thick, even after living stateside since the age of 13, when he was adopted by an American family. He views himself as fortunate to have been given an education and vocational opportunities he might not have had otherwise.

In the Mariposa Gazette’s 2011 “Best of the Best” competition, voters chose the Restful Nest as the No. 1 B&B. And in 2013 TripAdvisor awarded the Nest a certificate of excellence.

The B&B is located about 8 miles from Mariposa on over 10 acres of rugged hills studded with granite boulders and native oaks. Plenty of outdoor seating provides views overlooking the property and across to the Sierra peaks in the east. Old mining equipment sits on display in the yard, wildflowers dot the landscape and treetops rustle in the breeze.

Standing on the deck, guests can watch hummingbirds enjoy their breakfast at feeders placed around the property. Quail hide beneath bushes nearby.

The Moronis are proud to have earned awards but agree that all the local innkeepers provide personal attention and quality service. Each one is unique and offers something a little different for guests, whether they’re close to town or secluded.

“One lady called and asked, ‘How quiet is it?’” Lois says. “I told her, ‘It’s so quiet, if a crow flies overhead, you can hear the wings flap.’”

Visit www.restfulnest.com for details.

Other Yosemite region B&Bs include Rancho Bernardo in the relaxing country setting of Catheys Valley.

Bill and Nancy Main grow their own produce for their Victorian-style inn, Mariposa Farmhouse. The B&B is a historic landmark in the tiny town of Bear Valley, about 15 minutes north of Mariposa.

Yosemite’s A Haven of Rest is another award-winning B&B, located between Oakhurst and the national park’s south entrance.

Whether planning a trip to Yosemite, a lengthy vacation or a brief escape to the mountains, check with the Yosemite-Mariposa B&B Association for a getaway you’ll long remember: www.yosemitebnbs.com.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Debbie Croft: A place to rest and nest in foothills."