Destiny Brought Her to Liverpool
For Natalia Bernasconi, it was destiny that brought her to Liverpool. The 42-year-old is originally from Tucumán in Argentina, but she decided to leave her home in the north of the country nine years ago to travel the world. She told the ECHO in an exclusive interview: "I sold all my belongings, my car, my motorbike and I left the apartment. I only kept enough clothes for a 10kg backpack. I was travelling for two years everywhere with no direction at all." Her journey brought her to Liverpool in 2019 and Natalia only planned for a short stay in our region before she continued her travels.
Seven Years Later, Merseyside Is Home
Seven years later and Merseyside is still home as she met long-term partner, Marcin Bulinski, here and the two opened up their own shop, Empanada Revolution, in Garston last year. Ahead of England's semi final match against Argentina in the World Cup tonight, the ECHO visited the pastry shop to speak to the couple about why they found it so easy to settle on Merseyside.
Natalia explained she knew Liverpool was different immediately when a stranger kindly paid for her bus fare when she was having some difficulty with her card. She added: "I fell in love here on the first day I arrived. I had a problem with the card on the bus. A girl come and said, 'I will pay for you.' It was amazing to feel this nice welcome."
Scouse Hospitality for Polish Partner Too
Marcin hails from Poland, but benefitted from the same hospitable Scouse welcome when he arrived 20 years ago, as the 46-year-old said: "I was taking the bus to Lime Street station. I had a £10 note that I gave to the driver. But he said he had no change so a girl bought a ticket for me. I had money but I didn't have the right change. That way I could make my train."
Connecting Through Regional Identity
Natalia also found it easy to connect with Scouse culture as she said her native Tucuman is a pocket of Argentina with its own regional identity in the same way Liverpool is. She said: "In Tucuman, it is a different place [from the rest of Argentina]. We have our own language, humour and the way we talk. It is very specific. With Scousers, the accent is totally different. The words you use are very specific. In Tucuman, we have these kind of words that we only understand there."
Still Getting Used to British Weather and Accent
Although Liverpool has been home for seven years, she said there are some things she is still getting used to, such as the infamous British weather and the pace of our accent. She laughed: "I cannot understand Scousers still, I will say. The accent and the words you use require a lot of imagination."
Bringing Argentina's Best Export to Liverpool
Although Argentina is such a young nation, it has a rich cultural heritage as the South American country has gifted the world the Tango, Asado, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona in its 210 years of independence. Natalia and Marcin have brought another of the region's best exports to Liverpool with their specialist empanada shop. The delicious pastries originated from her native Tucuman and Marcin fell in love with the dish when he was introduced to empanadas while visiting Natalia's family. Natalia said: "He met my family, tried all the food, had empanadas and he went crazy."
Marcin had to leave his job as a driver after he suffered sciatic problems. He decided to change careers to bring the authentic taste of Argentina to Liverpool. He compared the dish to Pierogi dumplings in his native Poland and Natalia's mum sent over her recipe, which he worked on trying to perfect. Marcin knew he had mastered the dish when he received the approval from his three children and Empanada Revolution opened on the corner of Church Road in L19 in May last year. Fillings such as Tucumana beef and humita, paired with Chimichurri sauce, have made the shop popular in the community and Natalia, who previously worked in the hotel industry, is grateful for the way they have been welcomed into the neighbourhood.
Community Welcomes Empanada Revolution
She added: "We have lots of families come and say we are happy that you are here. We have many customers from Latin America. But we are now getting more and more English people. Mostly after they have been to Spain, they tried empanadas and want more of that flavour so they come here. They want to try something new. We are having more and more English people. They take their time [to get used to the new flavours], but they are very welcome. The people that come here are always wishing us the best for the business."
Shared Passion for Football
While Natalia is proud of the way she has introduced the flavours of Argentina to Liverpool, one thing the city shares with her home region is the passion for football, as Tucuman is also divided by two teams who play in red and blue. She said: "We are crazy for the football also. You have Liverpool and Everton with the rivalry. The division around Everton and Liverpool is like a cracker." Natalia, who supports Atletico Tucuman and Boca Juniors, explained the huge passion for football derives from how it is a unifying force in her home nation. She added: "We have so many problems in the country that when the World Cup comes, all the country pulls in the same direction."
Nervous for World Cup Semi-Final
The Argentinian has been following her country's World Cup campaign and is hopeful the Albiceleste can make it back to back appearances in the showpiece final by beating England tonight in Atlanta. However, she admitted she is nervous for how the game will pan out as she said Lionel Scaloni's side have been testing her nerves as they have narrowly progressed through each knockout tie so far. She added: "In every World Cup, I cannot even watch the match. In Argentina, we like to suffer. We don't enjoy, it is like, 'oh my God, what is happening?' I think it will be very difficult. I don't know much about football, but I saw the English team and thought it will be tough. I think we will need to be lucky."
Historic Rivalry Continues
While the result is impossible to predict, one thing Natalia expects is another tense game from the nations that only seem to serve up historic matches. 1966, 1986, 1998 and 2002 all live long in the memory for being decided on controversial moments and the Argentinian expects another dramatic addition to the storied rivalry in the USA tonight.
Grateful for Liverpool's Embrace
While there may be drama on the pitch, Natalia’s life in Liverpool couldn’t be more different as she’s excited for the next chapter in Merseyside and feels thankful for the way she has been embraced by her new home. She said: "I didn't take the decision [to stay in Liverpool]. It's like life made the decision for me so maybe it was destiny. Here is where I am and the opportunity that Liverpool gave to me makes me feel really grateful. I don't know if this would have happened in another place. To have opened a shop in another country is not an easy thing and I could not have done that alone."
