Breaking bread

by Navjyoti Dalal

In this new column, Home Is Where The Hearth Is, we shine the spotlight on the immigrant experience. And as a cultural exchange get them to share food recipes they hold dear. This week we meet Giulia Zanardo, from Romania, whose pregnancy cravings have resulted in Athlone's favourite sourdough loaf.

Theories in neuroscience claim that childhood is a rough draft of one's adulthood. It may not be an exact blueprint of one's grown up life, but the experiences of childhood draw an outline of life as an adult. Giulia Zanardo is a fine example of leaning on simple childhood elements, like bread, to enrich her life as a grown woman.

Humble Beginnings

The youngest of six siblings, Giulia grew up in a traditional agricultural household in Romania. Her father grew corn and wheat on his farm located on the outskirts of the city of Roman. One of the central features of her house was the stone mill to grind grains. The mornings smelled of ground flour while evenings were laden with the aroma of freshly baked bread. It was a simple country life where family, shelter and food held most meaning. "My passion for bread can be traced from this upbringing," says Giulia who didn't know life would bring her full-circle with this same set of priorities more than two decades later.

At 17, Giulia left Romania for Italy, where her older sister worked. "I just wanted to go experience the world and also work. I studied hairdressing in Udine city, and worked for 10 years as a hairstylist," says Giulia, who met her future husband Matteo Zanardo here.

Meanwhile, Giulia started working as a hairdresser at the US Air Force Base (NATO) in Aviano, an experience that polished her English language skills. The two were happy together, but a longing to voyage around and see other lands and cultures kept nudging them. After getting married in 2015, the Zanardos considered relocating to an English-speaking country, continent to be precise. "We had our eyes set on Australia. But somehow it didn't work out for documentation reasons," says Giulia who then began looking at other English-speaking countries. Perhaps a shamrock leaf guided them to look westward.

Where The Grass Is Green(est)

In 2016 the Zanardos landed in Ireland, thinking they would spend a year and then head for their next destination. Their first residential encounter in Ireland happened with Banagher village, Co Offaly, where Matteo was working in a concrete factory. "In two weeks of living in Banagher we went exploring towns around us on a bus, which brought us to Athlone. Athlone was so much more livelier, we fell in love with it," says Giulia. The couple moved to Athlone a week later. Given Matteo's qualification in culinary arts, he found a job at Beans & Leaves, while Giulia joined Barber Bobs in Monksland.

Right from the aforementioned bus ride Athlone left a mark on the Zanardos. The impression is only getting stronger. "This town has a very calming effect. For us, personally, Athlone has given us a family in all senses of the word. Not only is the town family to us, but it also gave us an environment where we didn't have to choose between work and growing a family," says Giulia hinting at her first employer who was supportive of her when she shared the news of her pregnancy. "He was happy for me and supported me in every way possible. I was immensely touched by this culture," Giulia explains.

Back to Roots

Giulia's mother was visiting her for some post-partum TLC. "I was craving for the bread she would bake when I was a child. As she was making it Matteo observed that his nonna (grandma) made a similar bread. Suddenly, our love for bread came alive, and we began baking bread at home for ourselves," Giulia recounts.

A Facebook post with pictures of Giulia's homemade bread had people interested. Circa 2019, the couple began homebaking bread for local restaurants and organic grocery stores like Kin Khao, Poppy Fields Cafe and Lowe & Co.

When their home-oven started to feel small, serendipity brought them to a recently closed-down takeaway pizza shop in Moate. It became the first physical presence of what is now Athlone's beloved cafe and boulangerie, Magico.

The couple ran their business from the Moate-based outlet for two years before getting an opportunity to expand in 2021. The present site boasts of an industrial oven and a roastery. There's also a new menu replete with Italian coffee, pastries and desserts, savoury snacks and sandwiches, biscuits and much more. But the customers are old, and new.

When this interview took place, four of five of her customers called Giulia by name. Their rapport was evident. "Magico stands for our family -- Ma (Matteo), Gi (Giulia), C (Celeste, older daughter), O (Olivia, younger daughter). And we are honoured that this sense of family and community resonates with our customers," says a proud Giulia.

She believes that the trust they have garnered from her clients has also to do with the choice of authentic ingredients. The wheat flour, for instance, is sourced from Italy. "There is no preservative or fancy ingredient in our bread. The only preservation we are doing is of the traditional methods, we stick to the recipes our moms used," says Giulia who has plans of bringing a Romanian addition to the cafe soon.

"I am planning to uniform our staff in traditional Romanian embroidered tops called Ie (pronounced ee). It will be a tribute to my late mother who stoked our love for bread with that Paine cu Moia she baked for me during my new-mother phase," Giulia beams. As I take the last sip of my coffee, the aroma of bread takes over the place, I could almost see an Arcadian home in Romania with a stone-mill, if I closed my eyes.

Recipe: Minestrone / Supa De Fasole

Giulia shares a Magico favourite recipe, which is as Italian as it is Romanian. A bean and vegetable soup, the Minestrone or Supa De Fasole is a soup deeply rooted in both cultures. "Fresh vegetables are the star of this soup, while the beans bring richness and heartiness," shares Giulia.

Ingredients

Red onions 3 chopped

Water to make the broth

Bay leaves 2

Rosemary 1 sprig

Thyme to season

Peas and Mix Beans 200gm

Leeks 150gm chopped

Extra virgin olive oil 1/4 of a cup

Pumpkin 250gm chopped

Borlotti beans 200gm

Tomatoes 350gm chopped

Celery 2 chopped

Potatoes 330gm chopped

White zucchini 150gm chopped

Carrots 3 chopped

Pepper and salt to taste

Method

In a pan put the beans in water to simmer with the bay leaves. In a separate pan, add the oil and sauté the vegetables. Transfer the veggies to the bean broth after 15 minutes. Cook the veggies with the beans till they are soft. Season with salt and black pepper and garnish with rosemary and thyme.