('i'olla. fell in loye. resigned from the force. and stayed. .-\t tltis time Valy‘ona & ('i'olla was a small shop on lilm Row. a general grocers. wine- sliop and tobacconists. It was. as it remains. a family business: ()liyia's brother Victor ran the shop and ('arlo‘s realm was the front. where he cooked pi//as and jockey'ed the smoking coffee roaster. A naturally cltarming and gregarious
Neapolitan. he greeted the ladies. kissed their
kids. and set the signature on the (‘ontini‘s life- enhancing house style. which continues in V&(' establishments (flagship in [film Row and tlte new Vin(‘affe in Multrees \Valk l. and the entirely separate ('entotre organisation iit (ieorge Street. Back then. in the mid—l‘)5()s. Victor and ('arlo realised that. due to a quirk in the excise laws tltat imposed lower tariffs on bulk wine. they could make money by importing it in barrels and bottling it ltere. 'l'hey bottled wine. ('in/ano and olive oil and sold it in deml-johns. It was a low- inargin business. and when oliy'e oil was deemed too expensiye for the average shopper. (‘arlo blended .itl‘é lixtra Virgin ()liye Oil and 70‘; yegetable oil. selling it as ‘Semi-Virgin ()liye ()il‘.
Valy'ona & (‘i'olla weathered the arriyal of
supermarkets in the late l‘)(i()s and early l‘)7()s largely because. as l’hilip says. ‘there was itot much food knowledge at the time. We could co- exist'. The catalyst for major change came in tlte early l‘)7()s: Britain entered the lili(‘. whiclt made the bottling business unprofitable. supermarkets started educating customers with mini-cookbooks mapping preyiously uncharted culinary waters. and Italy‘s wine renaissance began. l’hilip. ('arlo‘s son. had just joined the business. and had been in Italy" tasting wines seriously in a way \'&(' hadn't done before. ‘I was gobsiiiacked by the fabulous stuff out there. wines that I‘d neyei' been exposed to.’ he says. Realising there was no future in selling things in V&(‘ that customers could now get in supermarkets. they began the moye from a low- inargin ‘ijuantity' business to a "quality" business. Until then thele been ‘a food shop with some wine thrown in‘. .\'ow lidinburgh benelited from Philips infectious enthusiasm for the new Italian wines. lit a similar way when Victor. Philip‘s brother. joined in 197‘). he caryed out his own area of expertise at the cheese counter. communicating his passion with similar y'igoui'. lit a conyenient twist which a screenwriter couldn't get away with. Philip and Victor married sisters. Mary and (‘arina l)i (‘iacca Anyone who has read Dear l-‘rum'mcu. Mary's best-selling sconese loye—letter to family. food and two countries. knows the story and the histories of the families. What they won‘t know is that Mary ~ now rightly known as a triple-
threat w riter/ctiok/passionate adyocate of good eating also brought a cool. uniyei‘sity trained business-tii'ganisational brain into the company. (‘arina arriy ed later with the calm eye of a trained suryeyoi‘ and the warm heart of a natural cook. l’hilip thinks they ‘brought a needed touch of femininity to the front of the shop which
added greatly to what ('arlo and anle Victor
had trademarked as the charming lace of Vt“ When other delis began to bloom lll lidinburgh
ll] lllL‘ L‘ttl'ly Ulls. lllL‘y \lill‘lc‘tl lt‘c‘llltg the centre til.
town was tip the hill. ‘So we decided that to keep bringing people down the hill w ell better start refreshing them. aitd feeding them. We didn't set
out to create a deli-caffe.‘ But they did. ()ne of
the first. And created a sort of salon w herc
‘WE'VE ALL BEEN BEHIND THE COUNTER FROM CHILDHOOD - IT'S WHAT WE DO, AND WHERE WE FEEL COMFORTABLE'
people interested in food grayitated. he sat in there and seen three restaurant critics eating there at one time and they were eating separately and just for pleasure.
\Vhat I’hilip had done with wine. and Victor
with cheese. the ('affc Bar did to food and cooking. Mary explains: '(‘arina and my family had been in the cafe business any way so we knew we could run a cafe and feed people. We jtist fed them the food we eat at home. and we changed the menu eyery day. depending oit produce.~ 'l'hat produce began to come in fresh from the Milan markets. meaning delights such as tangy camona tomatoes. 'l'i'eyisano escarole. baby artichokes or the majestically hitter puntarelle were made ayailable to cooks and diners alike. 'l‘hat approach today marks the kitchens at Vin('affe and (‘entotrez they might all be different businesses now with distinct and \arious menus of their own. btit the common factor is that same authenticity and enthusiasm for good ingredients — good food cooked simply and well.
What the (‘ontinis haye is this enthusiasm. '\\'e'\’e all been beltind the counter from childhoodf says l’ltllip. 'll‘s what w e do. and it‘s where w e're comfortable. It‘s partly because it's a protectiy'e barrier. but mainly because it's a stage on which we can perform. And w e'i'e playing at home eyery week. It's ney er boring.‘
He‘s adamant that V&(' is 'merely a reflection of the people working in it a blank sheet of
paper on which people can e\piess then own personalities and make then own bit. as long as they use the \'tk(‘ limit this philosophy sprang the bakery and the incainatioii of a room at the back as a l-i’inge \enue. .\ couple of years ago Victor and ('aiiiia decided they wanted to espi'ess themselyes Ill dilleieiit colours. and lelt the business to set up then own
colours
sheet of paper at ('entotre. 'l'lns pioy ided us with another ('ontini establishment entirely distinct. yet distinguished by the same attitude and enthusiasm for the customer and the produce. ('arina and Victor. asked what their secret is. say: '\\'e'i‘e just lucky.‘ l‘tll' a moment you belieye them until you look past the shrug and the smile and see the hard work that has gone into their all their establishments. 'l'heii' 'luck’ also made space back at \'tk(’ for l'i'ancesca. daughtei ol Philip and Mary to become the ligui’ehead ol Vin(‘affc. So may be it‘s us who are lucky.
I like that fact that [lie It's/K Izating t\ Drinking (iuide .'\\\;tl'tls panel gaye the lust .ludges' Special .'\\\;tl‘tl to a family: that's where we get our bad habits and the tastes that lorui us. I like that it's this particular family. because they are. for my money. Scotland‘s l-ii‘st laiiiily ol l‘ood. .'\nd family is blood. and blood. as we know. l.l()\\\ from the heart. as does [he scci‘cl Ul their many and \ttt‘lctl stlcccsscs.
Full details of The List Eating 8. Drinking Guide Awards are published in the Eating & Drinking Guide, 2005/6, out now.
The Contini family have brought fine Italian food to Scotland. But what would they grab for themselves in a shipwreck?
Philip Contini, Valvona & Crolla and Vincafle ‘l'd take a whole Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a bottle of Franz Haas Pinot Nero from Trentmo.‘
Mary Contini, Valvona 8- Crolla and Vincaffe ‘A bottie of pink champagne — Billecart Rose — and if Philip and I are on two desert islands. a drawbridge between them!‘ Francesca Contini, Vincaffe 'A negroni: campari. dry vermouth and gut. garnished with an orange slice. Four shots. straight up. solves every problem known to man.’
Victor Contini, Centotre ‘Some Simple gnocchi — and Carina to cook them for me.‘ Carina Contini, Centotre 'My chOice would be home-made "grafte" (italian donut; and a good cup of coffee. So maybe this includes Giuseppe “the Yoda of Donut-Makers" to cook them fresh each day!’
z. THE LIST 25