Who would have thought that two newcomers to Canada, who met in a Toronto shelter back in 2019, would open their own Bulgarian restaurant in Sudbury exactly six years later.
Anelia Georgieva and Albena Vasileva opened A & A European Cuisine on Sept. 2 in the downtown Elm Place Mall food court.
“No one in Sudbury really knows about Bulgarian food, so we went with a sign that says European cuisine only,” Vasileva said. “Then when they come, they try our authentic southeastern European dishes.”
Begin with the traditional Bulgarian shopska salad, served with crisp cucumbers and ripe tomatoes and topped with freshly grated sirene cheese, which is reminiscent of feta, and you'll be smitten from the very first bite.
Georgieva and Vasileva offer samples for customers of traditional items like kebabche (meat rolls) and traditional Bulgarian cabbage rolls made with pork, herbs, rice and sauerkraut, as well as another traditional meal of beans, sausage and moussaka.
Both owners were taught how to cook by their mothers, the matriarchs of the family, at an early age. Georgieva went on to study food and worked in Bulgarian restaurants to gain more experience.
The duo never knew each other before coming to Canada. In Bulgaria, they lived about 180 kilometers from each other, in and around the capital city of Sofia. They arrived in Canada about six months apart and met in a Toronto shelter.
“Our country is poor and it is no longer a safe place to live for our people,” said Vasileva, explaining both she and Georgieva are of Romani descent.
There is a long history in Europe of discrimination and persecution of Roma people, including in Bulgaria.
“I came alone to Canada and all my family is in England,” Vasileva said. “I really only have Anelia who came with her husband and children here.”
Both Georgieva and Vasileva love making traditional cabbage rolls as it reminds them of home.
Given both owners are Christian, they are excited to share seasonal dishes with the community as the festive season approaches.
“We do meatless dishes on the 24th of December followed by a lot of pork, our favourite, on Christmas day,” Georgieva said. “Customers really like our traditional fish and chips as a meatless dish. Fish and chips is almost always on the menu with the haddock breaded on site.”
She said patrons at World Gym in the Elm Place Mall to order the fish and healthy salads to go.
The ladies also use their time with customers to teach them about Bulgarian culture.
“Our food is closely tied to other Balkan countries with baklava,” Vasileva said. “While people here seem to really know about items like Greek yogurt, real yogurt and the bacteria it needs actually comes from Bulgaria.”
A & A European Cuisine is open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Elm Centre Mall downtown.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.