Food-related meetings always get a good response from the Sweethearts, and this month’s meeting was no exception.
Stefano from Harrogate’s Cafe Rosso shared his love of food with us, telling us about his upbringing and enlightening us on the Italian way of eating.
He took us on a journey from his childhood in northern Italy to opening a restaurant in his adopted home town of Harrogate. As a child, he was involved in preparing meals at an early age, and remembers every meal being an opportunity to spend time together with the family.
He has carried that philosophy throughout his life, always seeking to make his cafe a welcoming and comfortable place for his customers. He treats them as family and does all he can to ensure they have an enjoyable meal.
Stefano had some fantastic anecdotes from his experience working in restaurants and cooking for his family. In a tale that many of us could probably relate to, he said his mother still insists on sending him ‘proper’ coffee – despite the fact he runs a successful cafe which sells very high quality coffee to happy customers every day.
As well as his usual menu during the day, Stefano now offers special events on occasional evenings, including buffet suppers and tasting nights. They are proving popular with customers and several members of Spa Sweethearts were keen to sign up for the next event (details are posted on the Cafe Rosso Facebook page).
Of course, no food-related meeting would be complete without some actual food. Stefano had very kindly brought along a selection from his menu, and it didn’t take us long to work our way through profiteroles, biscotti and probably the best tiramisu that has ever been created. Seriously.
If you’re ever looking for authentic, delicious Italian food created as though it were a home-cooked meal for friends, we would all thoroughly recommend Cafe Rosso – especially if you get to hear any of Stefano’s stories while you’re there.