A Time For Us To Celebrate

2018 had special significance for Carina, but 2019 will also be a very special year

MY father was born 100 years ago this year in a very tiny hamlet up in the mountains between Rome and Naples. In the same year my grandfather arrived – from that tiny village – in Cockenzie, a hamlet 16km (10 miles) from Edinburgh, to start a new life for his family.

The church records show our family had lived in that very same community in Italy for over 500 years. What a massive step to take to leave what was familiar to travel 2400km (1500 miles), much of it on foot, to make a fresh start for his wife and children.

2018 celebrated the centenary of the end of the First World War. My Nonno had fought with the Allies and I often think what must it have been like to travel through Italy and France after such brutalities. My grandmother arrived with my aunt and my father a few months after my grandfather. They loved the village they settled in as much as they loved the village they had left. From the mountains to the sea. Each the opposite of the other. The sea brought the sea breeze and the sounds of the waves and the howl of the wind. They were enchanted.

The harbours at Cockenzie and Port Seton were bustling ports in their day. The energy of the boats leaving and coming back, and the landings and the nets hanging out to dry on the harbour walls, was a magical adventure that they thrived on. Cockenzie may not have the same maritime activity as it had 100 years ago but it’s still a place we feel energised and love as much as our grandparents did way back then.

My husband Victor and I are very proud to be carrying on the tradition that my grandfather started, serving the best food, as locally sourced as possible, supporting our communities and sharing delicious food made with a lot of love.

Going back to this special year, it’s also our 25th wedding anniversary and The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the Scottish National Gallery will be celebrating its 10th birthday. So much to celebrate. Thank you to our brave grandparents who chose Scotland to settle in, and thank you to the people of Scotland who have always made us feel so very much at home.