Just minutes after opening the doors to her café bar in the Northern Quarter on a Thursday morning, Maria Croitoru is already handing out free slices of pie.
“It’s just something we do when we make something new,” Maria tells the Manchester Evening News as she cuts into the still warm apricot jam Crostata. “We ask people to try it to see if they like it and if we need to change the recipe. Only when we’re fully happy with it will we start selling it properly.”
For the last two-and-a-half years, Maria and husband Leonardo Augello have been serving their freshly-made Italian-inspired treats at Marleo - a portmanteau of their two first names. Initially from a shipping container in Pollen Yard, in a short space of time, they’ve become known for their focaccias, baked goods, and rice balls.
New Spot on Oldham Street
Last month, the pair opened their new Marleo Little Sicily spot on Oldham Street, just yards away from sandwich and bakery aficionados Bada Bing and Ad Maiora. But Maria and Leo have no plans to compete with the city's lunchtime favourites; they want to compliment and add to the scene of thriving food spots in the area. It has proved to be a success in a short period as they often find themselves with queues down the street.
“There’s too many Italians in Manchester, we’ve realised,” Maria, who comes from Lazio, near Rome, laughs from behind the counter. “We’ve found them all right here!”
True Italian Bar Experience
She says that one big draw of their new spot is the option for customers to pop in for a quick espresso and a snack to eat - all enjoyed counter-side in true Italian fashion - before dashing off to continue the rest of their day. “It’s something we all do back at home,” she explains. “It’s a big thing in Italian culture. People will go out in the afternoon during work, have a quick coffee and then go back to the office. We don’t really have bakeries, we have bars.”
With that in mind, Maria says she refuses to label Marleo as a café, a deli or a bakery. It's a bar, or a café bar, if you must. She explains: “I think we are one of the first in Manchester to have a proper Italian bar. Maybe people will come here for a little brioche or a cannoli, and then go back to work happy, right? That’s the plan!”
Family Recipes from Sicily
Maria says she and Leo moved to Manchester to help support her sister, Gina, with looking after her children. In a reversal of fortunes, Gina now works at Marleo helping support her sister. But baking has been instilled in both her and Leo’s upbringing ever since they were born, with the relocation providing an opportunity to bring an authentic slice of Sicily here.
“Leo’s family have run a bakery in Trapani, which is near Sicily, for more than 30 years now called Panificio Augello,” Maria explains. “It is very well known for its special recipes and techniques. I would get really sad every time we left there as I could never find anything like it, I would literally cry for their bread. So, we decided to think about how we could bring it here with their blessing. I won’t say we stole their recipes, but we have been very much inspired by them!”
All of the baked goods, sandwiches and pastries are made from scratch using interpretations of these centuries-old recipes, requiring a 3am start-time each morning for Maria, Leo and the team to ensure everything is ready.
Menu Highlights
Asked for particular favourites or menu highlights, Maria says their Arancini - featuring fresh saffron, Parmesan cheese and rice - often go down well. “Most people have only tried the little versions of them, like finger food, so they are always surprised when they see how big the traditional ones are,” Maria explains. “But people always say they much prefer the original once they’ve tried them. We tell people we make them with a big heart because there is a lot of filling inside.”
Other must-tries are the traditional Bolognese lasagne, the Capollina - a flaky pastry with ham, cheese and onion - and the spicy baked Ravazzata featuring hot salami, ham and melted cheese. For afters, there’s the sfogliatelle ricce, which is filled with pistachio, Nutella, and cream, and, of course, the dainty little cannoli filled to the brim with pistachio cream.
Authentic Ingredients from Italy
“We get a lot of the ingredients from back in Italy,” Maria explains. “Our family sends us a lot of produce that they use in their bakery, like herbs and seasoning. The pistachios we use are from Sicily and our own olive oil is from the olives there too. Of course, it’s not cheap, but we want to make everything ourselves and ensure it is all good quality.”
Maria says one of the most exciting things in the few weeks since opening in the Northern Quarter is how people have maybe started off with something they have had before before eventually venturing out into something new. “I’m so in love,” Maria says of how it feels to be welcomed with their two spots.
“We really appreciate it when people like what we do. There is truly a very special community here, everybody has been so supportive of us and what we’re doing.”
Maria says the plan, once Marleo Little Sicily has truly established itself, is that she and Leo will be permanently based at their original Pollen Yard spot - “it’s our baby!,” she proclaims - whilst their staff will front the Northern Quarter base. In amongst all that, they will also continue to appear at artisan markets and even host private functions, with their first catering booking for a wedding coming up very soon.
“I still cannot believe how lucky we have been to be able to open two places here in Manchester,” Maria beams. “It doesn’t feel real. We have so many plans and ideas to come, and it feels great that people have welcomed us so much here.”
Marleo Little Sicily is on 95 Oldham St, Manchester, M4 1LW. They are also at unit 151, 15 Pollard St E, Manchester M40 7QX.
