A homesick, boozy chat on a night out in Manchester sparked the dream Davide Colombo and Natasha Mehmood are now living. The two office workers, aged 28 and 25, spoke about starting their own business during a hazy night out in Manchester – and actually did it.
From Office Bake Off to Business Dream
Davide Colombo, originally from Milan in northern Italy, moved to Manchester four years ago after graduating with a master's degree in urban design. He secured a job at a prestigious engineering company but soon found himself homesick for Italy, particularly the incredible food of the north where he grew up.
"In Manchester, it's a city that gives you so much – it's amazing. But if I talk about Italian cuisine, there are so many pizzerias; it's like pizza, and focaccia is another product that is becoming incredibly popular. But the way they do it is mostly like the southern way," said Davide.
"The northern food is different from southern or central Italian food. The north of Italy includes the Alps, so there's a big mountain culture, which of course brings heartier and richer dishes."
Realising how much he missed the flavours of northern Italy, Davide started cooking and baking traditional regional dishes for his friends at his flat in Manchester city centre. The perfect opportunity to test his creations came during a 'Bake Off'-inspired event at his workplace.
"I was like, this is a perfect chance to bring northern Italian desserts for everyone to try," said Davide. "People started to tell me, 'Davide, wow! You should open a bakery.' So I was like, 'Okay, well, thank you so much.' And then these little jokes actually became a dream in my mind."
A Late-Night Conversation That Changed Everything
While Davide dreamed of opening a shop selling northern Italian desserts, the next key step came during a late-night out in Manchester with his ex-colleague and friend, Natasha Mehmood. "She was already very good at baking, in particular with cheesecakes. She's always been amazing," said Davide. "And I was just talking to her, I was like, 'You know what? I have this dream.'"
Davide told Natasha that he missed his "homeland" and wanted to feel a stronger connection to Northern Italy by starting a business selling desserts inspired by the region. Natasha, inspired by his passion, committed to helping him achieve his dream.
"It's funny because she's a lovely person, but I thought, when out at the pub after a few drinks, only one per cent of these conversations actually happen," Davide said. However, their conversation had inspired Natasha, and the next day she sent Davide a message referencing their chat about starting a dessert company together, saying, "Right, what are we doing then?"
Together in his flat, Davide began teaching Natasha his recipes step by step. They developed their brand packaging and started handing out free tasters to colleagues and friends while launching an Instagram page to build buzz for their business, Dolce del Nord, which means 'Dessert of the North'.
Davide said the response was overwhelmingly positive – especially his cherished family recipe for tiramisu – which helped prove that their business idea was viable.
Northern Italian Desserts: Rich and Creamy
He explained that while Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannoli are popular in Manchester, they're usually based on recipes from central or southern Italy. Whereas similar desserts in northern Italy are made differently. "In the north, we have a bit more of cakes and creamy desserts. Of course, tiramisu is incredibly popular and it's a national dessert, but it's originally from the north," said Davide. "And also we have another one that is called zuppa inglese, which is called English soup. Basically, it's very creamy, almost like an Italian version of trifle."
One of the main ways northern Italian desserts differ from those in the south is the region's proximity to the Alps and using butter rather than olive oil. Davide adds: "Because we have the Alps, we produce loads of butter from the milk, the cows. So our desserts include very rich cheese or butter."
Professional Kitchen and Future Plans
After a period of searching, Davide and Natasha managed to hire a professional kitchen space at St Matthew's Community Hall in Stretford. Since the end of May, they have officially been baking and running Dolce del Nord from this location. For now, all their desserts are sold through their Instagram page and at markets and food events. But soon, they hope to open their first shop somewhere in Manchester.
What makes Davide and Natasha's commitment to their business more remarkable is that they both still work 9-to-5 jobs at engineering companies in Manchester, while then dedicating their evenings and weekends to making and selling their desserts. Despite having to work on their own business at weekends after a long week in the office, Davide said he is so glad that he made the decision to bring his dream closer to reality.
"It means a lot to me. It gives you so much back when someone tries your dessert and tells you, 'Oh, I really like it, it's amazing,' which, for me, is literally like a little piece of my homeland, of my heart. And it's funny, but sometimes I'm knackered after like sitting at the desk staring at a monitor for like eight hours straight. But when I get back home, and we go to the kitchen, I find the energy again. I'm tired, but I just do it with loads of passion and pleasure."
