PIECE
OF ITALY
Food is a big part of the Italian culture, and their passion for it
would have them come introduce Nairobi to Italy. Over two
decades later, it would seem they have succeeded.”
When I finally get to sit down for
a quick chat with husband and wife
duo Fausto and Lorenza Trufelli,
the brains behind Pomodoro,
their restaurant is teeming with
customers. Later I will fall in love
with their pizzas all over again. The
Kenyan chapter of their lives starts
with a vacation here in 1992. For
all its shortcomings, this beautiful
country will reel you in and trap you
in its charm. And so two years later,
the newly married couple who were
then just 33 and 26, left their jobs
to come settle here. Food is a big
part of the Italian culture, and their
passion for it would have them come
introduce Nairobi to Italy. Over two
decades later, it would seem they
have succeeded.
The pair set up shop at the Village
Market, which had then just opened
in 1995. They had a restaurant called
Pomodoro and an ice cream shop
called Arlecchino, but sold the latter
about 1.5 years ago. “There wasn’t
much happening in the Kenyan
food scene then,” states Lorenza.
“You couldn’t even find a good
cappuccino. In fact, they would call it
‘cup of chino’!” She further explains
that while a lot of establishments
have since come up, they don’t mind
the competition.
“We have remained steadfast in
our concept and continue to keep
to our traditions. We come from
Rome but have family all over Italy.
We still cook in the manner that was
ingrained in us growing up,” adds
Lorenza. “When I make sauces, I can
tell when it’s ready by the noise
it makes while simmering. When I
make pasta, I can tell if it is ready
just from how the spoon is touching
it. This is because I grew up with
these traditions. Some of the items
on our menu have actually been
there for over 20 years! If we remove
anything, we get complaints!”
The menu at their open-court
restaurant is divided into three.
They explain that the first is the
‘traditional; section which has the
classics that they won’t ever change.
The second is the ‘original’ which
is food from Italy but with their
own added flair. The third is the
‘extravagant’ section where Italy
meets abroad- because Nairobi in
itself is very cosmopolitan- and
you would never find them in Italy
because they are not your traditional
dishes. “We want to keep our
customers happy without losing who
we are or our way of doing things,”
says Fausto. “We have sacrificed a lot
of business just to maintain quality.
We chose not to franchise because
we didn’t want to lose the quality
that customers have come to expect.
There is no need to open up 20
outlets that we won’t be