Yveline Bonora

România Internațional, 01.01.1970, 02:00

Yveline Bonora came to Bucharest nearly 9 years ago. She followed her husband, Just, who had set up a restaurant here the year before. At first the two commuted between France and Romania. Then they decided to leave their home country behind in order to set up their own business in Romania. Yveline recalls the early years of her stay in Romania:

Yveline Bonora: “We came to Romania with a ready-made image of what this country was supposed to be. My family in turn was telling me: ‘What are you going to do there? You’ll starve to death, you’ll freeze to death…’ It was a bleak November day when we arrived, no sun at all. And since I was coming from southern France, this was a big shock to me. My second visit however was completely different. It was in spring. Gradually my preconceived ideas dissipated, one after another. I came to realize Romania was a Latin country, just like France. It was easy for me to fit in, and now I feel good about what I’m doing. My life continues to be a to and fro, mostly because my brothers, sisters, children and nephews are still in France. But I’ve built a life here now. I come back here after each visit to France”.

Yveline Bonora makes preserve, following a recipe handed down by her grandmother from Normandy:

Yveline Bonora: “My husband and I told ourselves that it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to relocate our preserve business here, so we are making preserve mostly for our friends, and the rest we sell to our clients. Our business has flourished. Our clients now are mostly hotels, buying preserve jars for breakfast or room-service. We also work with a couple of high-end retailers in Bucharest”.

Yveline Bonora says fruit in Romania are of very good quality:

Yveline Bonora:“At first I used to shop in Obor market. Then I gradually built myself a network of local producers, and now I deal directly with them. Sometimes we do the picking ourselves, whether we’re talking about apricots, strawberries, pears or quinces, and we always taste them beforehand. We only want what’s best, so that we should get the best preserve possible. We decided to observe tradition and make the preserve in old, copper pots. We stir the mix with wooden spoons and use only fruit, sugar and fruit pectin. We add no preservatives, no colouring agents or chemical additives”.

Yveline Bonora and her husband work together with a Romanian partner. Their small business has four employees, who bring them great satisfaction:

Yveline Bonora: “We sometimes ask them to work extra hours, and they do so without fail. When work is scarce we in return grant them a couple of hours off. We have lunch together everyday, which is great for teambuilding. My husband Just has years of experience in the kitchen, which is why he very much enjoys cooking for us, and they are excited to sample all the dishes he makes”.

And since French people enjoy a good meal, Yveline Bonora and her husband are equally fascinated by Romanian cuisine, whether it’s the sour soups, the mince-meat cabbage rolls or the sweet dumplings.

Yveline also enjoys traditional music and dance:

Yveline Bonora: “While I was back in France I attended some Balkan dance workshops for 12 years, it was an activity of our association. I never imagined I would eventually end up in Romania one day. So I also learned about Romania, Bulgarian and Greek dancing. My only regret right now is that I’m dancing less than I used to back in France. It’s harder to dance in Bucharest, but whenever I get the chance, whenever there’s a celebration, a wedding or a folk festival in Cismigiu Park, I never miss it”.

Yveline Bonora misses her relatives, her friends, the sea and the landscapes of southern France. However she does enjoy her time in Romania. For this reason it was hard for her to tell us what her future plans were. We can only wish her a long and prosperous stay in our country and hope she will continue to delight us with her delicious preserves.