A life choice: abandoning the certain for the uncertain. Thus was born «Romeow», a restaurant that for twelve years has combined plant-based cosmopolitan high cuisine and respect for animals, in a format that attracts customers from all over the world. Over time, the bistro in the Ostiense neighborhood was also joined by «Julietta Pastry and Lab», the first bakery with a laboratory specializing in totally plant-based desserts
«The nicest thing I’ve heard myself say? “We came to see the cats, now we’re going back for the food because the food is good here.” It gratifies me. It gives meaning to everything I do every day.”
Born in 1978, Roman origin, Valentina de Matteis she is the founder of «Romeow», a cat bistro in the Ostiense district which, for twelve years, has offered cosmopolitan cuisine with a plant-based twist. The peculiarity: a small cat colony originally adopted at the Luna di Formaggio cattery in Montelibretti. And that, today, It’s right inside the bistroappropriately furnished with games and raised paths along the walls, and the constant support of a veterinarian and a behaviorist.
«Animals deserve respect: here everything is designed with their well-being in mind. It is the same principle that guides the gastronomic proposal: I have chosen an anti-speciesist approach and therefore a completely plant-based menu.”
How did you come up with the idea for a cat bistro?
«Romeow was born in a specific moment of my life. I worked at AMA, the municipal environmental company of Rome Capital: a good paycheck, thirteenth and fourteenth salary included. And the certainty of a permanent job, like in Zalone’s film (laughs). But I was missing something. When, at 35, a certain frustration became persistent – I started the week not looking forward to Friday – I told myself it was time to change direction.”
AND?
«I looked for something that resembled me, that was an extension of my life, of my values. I imagined a place that I myself would have liked to frequent. A place close to home, where you can unplug, read a book between walls with soft colors and soft music, eat well and talk about plant-based nutrition. I found it in a 1960s sign in via Francesco Negri. His name was Romeo. I noticed it: today it’s Romeow, with the final w resembling a meow.”
The cat restaurant.
«Not exactly: here cats are not a gimmick, but a choice consistent with love and respect for all animals».
But it is true that cats arouse curiosity and, consequently, attract.
“Certain. They can be a gateway: many come through them, then come back through the kitchen.”
Which is totally plant-based. Lifestyle choice?
«For years, sixteen to be exact. I am a child of the eighties: my mother worked a lot and often left me a ready lunch. Every now and then I thought about it. Growing up, I lived in America where my passion for food in general was born. Then, through yoga, I began to continually question myself about what I had on my plate, where what I ate came from, what story was behind it. This is how my vegetable choice developed.”
A green cuisine restaurant with, inside, a cat colony for a fixed place. How did you communicate this to your parents?
«Very calmly (laughs). In the sense that I said it only a month before the opening, after the game was over. And not without fear. I was sure my father would never understand. It seemed like a crazy project to me, let alone to him. And instead…”
Instead?
«Mum and Dad were and still are my first fans, the first enthusiasts of the project».
How did you manage with the permits and bureaucracy?
«Pretty good, I was lucky. When I went to the local health authority to ask for information I found three cat keepers. I admit that they didn’t know what to answer: there was no similar place in Rome. The only one in Italy, at the time, was Miagola Caffè in Turin. Nor was there a law that clearly said what to do. To tell the truth, it still doesn’t exist today.”
So?
«I scrupulously complied with the hygiene and food safety regulations established by the Local Health Authority: litter trays away from the room, kitchens closed to cats’ access and a separate food warehouse. The cats have dedicated spaces, with sofas, berths and raised paths, and never enter the areas where food is prepared or stored. In twelve years I have received regular checks from the ASL, always with positive results. To be honest, it was more complicated to deal with some bureaucratic procedures than putting the cats in the place.”
Today «Romeow» is a point of reference for Roman catering. He was right.
«For good luck I won’t comment. However, I can say that Rome responded well, also because it has always been very linked to the imagery of the cat, and the numbers confirm this: from the 35 seats at the beginning, with three-month waiting lists, we have reached 75 seats, outdoor space included. With my staff – seven guys in the kitchen and the same number in the dining room – we work from Tuesday to Sunday, from morning to evening: breakfast, lunch, snack, aperitif and dinner”.
What does the menu include?
«A vegetable cuisine, without proselytizing. We don’t want to convince anyone, nor copy tradition: those who come to us will not find vegan carbonara. If anything, we work on creative, experimental dishes, with flavors that come from around the world. Some examples: tempura kimchi with teriyaki sauce and spring coleslaw; focaccia with almond ricotta, vignarola and fermented lemon; pad thai, i.e. rice fettuccine with sautéed vegetables, coriander, tamarind, toasted peanuts and lime juice; seitan tuna sauce with vegetable tuna sauce, cucunci capers and wild rocket. The message is clear: plant-based cuisine can be beautiful, delicious, surprising. People try and convince themselves.”
There are illustrious visitors. One name above all: Angelina Jolie.
«It’s no longer a secret (laughs). Very true. They called me from a hotel saying that a distinguished person would be arriving, but without revealing his identity. They asked for a secluded table, away from the windows. The bodyguards arrived first, then Angelina Jolie with her daughter Shiloh. She was tiny, very delicate, with a scarf around her face. When she entered and took off her glasses, it was impossible not to recognize her: a delightful, friendly, smiling woman. It was snack time: she and her daughter had our white cake with raspberry topping, a hot chocolate, a slice of tart. It was exciting. The daughter came back a second time.”
Others?
«Over the years, from memory, Francesco Totti, Ilary Blasi, Maria De Filippi, Giorgia, Pino Insegno, Chris Smalling, Thom Yorke of Radiohead have passed by. But above all, many tourists, occasional customers and loyal customers, families with children, grandmothers and grandchildren who come to have tea. Gattari and otherwise. And also what crazy people they became after staying with us. In twelve years I have seen thousands of photos of cats: each one shows me his own, tells me what his name is, what he does, what he eats. It’s a contagious passion.”
What are your parents’ names?
«The great Nino, Lum, Frida and Irì. Imola-Rome-Imola with the accent, or the nickname dad calls mom. The little ones are Ginko, Julietta and Pablo. Then there was Romeo, the red cat: when he died, he even ended up in the newspaper. With him Maos, white with blue eyes: he was the star of the club, they called him the Paul Newman of Garbatella. They are very good, well-mannered cats who see up to 200 people a day. On one condition, more than necessary: they must not be picked up, disturbed or chased. If they were continually stressed, they would be stressed.”
Who takes care of them?
“I. I am their mother. Even on Mondays, when we are closed, I stop by to give water and food. The staff helps me, of course, but they are my responsibility.”
Julietta has a double identity…
«Let’s say yes. It is one of the cats inside the Romeow and a second place opened, over time, in front of the Romeow. Together they are Romeow and Julietta.”
What kind of place?
«A bakery with production laboratory. We make totally vegetable desserts, and then cheeses, fermented vegetables. Everything is sold to the public and also offered by Romeow. Julietta was born because we have always been more famous for sweets than for cats. Alessandro Borghese also said it when we participated in Four restaurants, which we also won: “Your strong point is the desserts”».
Works?
“Yes. Just think, they asked me for the format in other areas of Rome, in Milan and elsewhere. But it takes strength, time and money. If a fair, ethically compatible project came along, I would think about it. But I don’t want to live just by working anymore. There’s more.”
Meaning what?
«A great love, a chef. We’ve known each other since middle school, but we haven’t seen each other since. This year he asked me for green catering for the restaurant where he works. We met again, talked, then he invited me to dinner. Since that day we have never left each other.”
Falling in love at 47, what’s it like?
“Different. You want a second half of life with a person you really feel for. In the past I have had difficult stories, where I thought that loving meant enduring. Today I understood that when you love you can’t stand: live. My man is the head, I am the heart: we are complementary. It helps me think, gives me balance. He’s my best friend. My great love. It’s a look that says it all: anyone who loves cats knows it.”
