On April 14, 1980, Lucia Colonna served her first dish to customers at her new restaurant on East Hastings, far beyond Commercial Drive in the then distant Vancouver suburb. The restaurant was named Felicias, after Lucias daughter.
On a bright afternoon recently, I was walking on the south side of the street when I noticed a burgundy awning, sporting an Italian flag. A plain aluminum door, with bars and kitsch signs completed the ensemble. Youd be forgiven if you passed by without noticing.
Drawn by curiosity more than hunger, since I had already had lunch, I pushed open the door and walked in. There, lay a surprisingly large but dimly lit room, tables dressed simply with red gingham, walls covered with pictures and maps of Italy and autographed photos of famous patrons. A picture of a young, smiling Lucia on a beach in Italy invoked the personality behind the place. With this eclectic décor, I had just stepped back into a universe reminiscent of my native Europe.
Can I help you? came a voice behind the half-wall separating a small kitchen with the dining room. And there she was, Lucia, in her white chefs apron and headdress. Id have an easier time completing the Saturday Globes crossword than trying to guess her age. Would you like to sit down, I have some homemade soup ready, she invited.
In a far corner, a young couple was holding hands and giggling while picking from each others plate. Near the door, an older fellow with a tweed cap was scouring the daily pages. The bright echoes of a tenor singer came from speakers somewhere. Fresh homemade soup! What better introduction to the personality of a restaurant and its chef-owners? Suddenly, I was transported back to my grandmothers where as a kid, coming in from a day of playing outdoors, I always found something good to eat.
I sat myself in a corner and soaked in the homey atmosphere. A smell of garlic materialized as a plate of fresh homemade garlic bread appeared at the table. Any stress instantly disappeared. I was in this out-of-time place and I was going to be taken care of or, even better, nurtured. The first spoonful of the minestrone revealed what I had already guessed: flavour without the excess of triggers such as salt or sugar. The vegetables seemed to have been picked fresh from a nearby garden.
I decided to go for broke: Do you have any pasta I could try? I said, feeling sheepish since I was still digesting my lunch of two hours earlier. By now, I was determined not to walk out of Felicias restaurant without having tasted the homemade pasta and meatballs. I made the pasta fresh this morning she said.
I learned from my hostess that I could have asked for any dish I wanted, and she would have gone back to her cold room, grabbed a veal cutlet, an onion, some Italian parsley and prepared it a la minute for me. I started considering moving out from downtown, my wife and I, into this neighborhood, envisioning many lazy days of just dropping in at Felicias for lunch or dinner.
Born in Bari, near the heel of the Italian peninsula on the Adriatic Sea, Lucia came from a family where cooking is a tradition. As such, she learned to prepare food properly from the ripe old age of seven.
On a more recent visit, I got to meet Lucias daughter, Felicia, who works with her mother. She indicated she was a cook as well and that her own daughter, Elvera, also helped at the restaurant. On that occasion, I watched as several regulars dropped in, some carrying Christmas gifts for the hostess. One of them, a dapper older gentleman, saluted her in a deliciously old-fashioned way, as the most beautiful Lucia he knew.
Far from fads, and back-to-the-future of healthy eating, I understood what has made this place a favourite in this diverse neighborhood since 1980: a warm atmosphere and a commitment from its proprietors to use fresh produce, and making pasta or pizzas from scratch. (A gluten-free version of some items on the menu is available.) Simple enough and, yes, a truly unique experience.
I may not have felt hungry walking in the place, but I definitely felt nourished by the time I left.
Felicias | 2492 E. Hastings (at Kamloops) | 604-255-6116 | Lunch and dinner
