Authentic flavours, simple family recipes and Sicilian hospitality are the key ingredients of Aromi on Bene’t Street, one of the leading independent cafés in this burgeoning culinary corner of Cambridge.
Aromi – meaning both ‘herbs’ and ‘fragrance’ – is the vision of childhood sweethearts Ofelia and Francesco Genovese, who moved to Cambridge to study in 2003. “We missed home and felt there was a gap in the market for a little Italian café in Cambridge. The food in England seemed very different to home – lots of fat and butter! Though that was 14 years ago. When we had a baby, we decided to set up Aromi. My brother and sister-in-law had moved over and became my business partners. They brought with them the family recipes we use in the café today,” say Ofelia.
We’re seated downstairs (note the lovely Sicilian tiles and rustic shelves as you descend) in the bustling heart of the café, where Ofelia introduces me to the rest of the family – depicted picnicking and playing cards in black and white photographs on the walls. One is Ofelia’s aunt, shown here in her younger days, but still active in her 90s – a result of all that Mediterranean home cooking, perhaps. Another, seated under an olive tree, is her grandmother, who would make home-made pasta with Ofelia as a girl.
“There was lots of cooking going on at home,” Ofelia says. “Family and food are very important to Sicilians!”
Ofelia based their new café on her father-in-law’s café in the baroque town of Acireale. “It’s a beautiful place, right in front of the cathedral,” Ofelia explains. “It’s been there since 1957 and people come from all over for his pizza and gelato.”
Real, Italian gelato is one of Aromi’s biggest hits – and rightly so. While we chat, we tuck into two of Ofelia’s favourite flavours: Baccio (rich, creamy hazelnut and chocolate), and a dreamy combination of mandorlato (almond) and pistachio, complete with whole pistachio nuts from Sicily. The difference from regular UK ice cream, apart from the smoother taste, is in the ingredients and slower churning process. Gelato uses natural ingredients and less fat and sugar – so it doesn’t only taste better, its better for you.
Aromi’s savoury delights are no less dazzling. Floury focaccia, delicious arancini and colourful pizza squares line the marble counter, ready to be snapped up for a quick and easy lunchtime bite.
“Our dough is one of the secrets of Aromi,” says Ofelia. “It’s made using a traditional family recipe with rice, different kinds of flour and over 80{b486c5a37ab2d325d17e17d701cb2567b1ecd1814e8ceb33effa2a4f1f171d46} water. It’s very light, with lots of bubbles, and we leave it to rest for three days. That’s made on-site every day.
“We use only fresh ingredients, delivered every morning, and all our prosciutto, olive oil and cheeses come from Italy. Simple recipes made with passion, using the best dough and the best quality ingredients, is key. That’s why Aromi is where it is today.”
That’s not to say success was always certain. “It was a big risk and a big investment,” she admits. “We opened at 11am on a Sunday and at first no one came in: but in half an hour it was packed. By 1pm we’d run out of food.
“There is a big Italian community in Cambridge but Aromi is very international. We get some lovely comments – and I wish we could video people’s reactions when they taste the gelato for the first time! Everyone says we need a bigger place.”
But here we might be in luck. After opening a second café a few doors down last July, there are plans already underway for a third café, which is due to open after the summer.
“It will still be somewhere central, but a little further away from where we are now – offering everything we offer here,” explains Ofelia.
“When we first moved to Cambridge there were a lot of chain restaurants, but the city has changed so much since then. It’s hard work, but it’s so rewarding. It’s amazing to bring to Cambridge a bit of our culture. And the smells and the food and the feel of Aromi keeps us connected to our roots.”
Aromi is located at 1 Bene’t Street and 3 Peas Hill, Cambridge.
