A hidden Italian venue offers a unique and fun way to get delicious, authentic food, while ensuring the owner's fiancé's memory is kept "alive".
Flour Will Fly, found by wandering through a blink-and-you'll-miss-it archway on Water Street, offers Italian cooking classes in a cool and retro setting, a stone's throw away from Liverpool's iconic waterfront.
Designed for food lovers of all capabilities - or lack of - Flour Will Fly's classes regularly sell out. The classes are in depth, and teach "those who can't tell their ravioli from their garganelli" about the food's rich Italian heritage while returning to, and encouraging, the "childlike glee of getting messy in the kitchen."
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It is the brainchild of Paola Paulucci. Born in Brazil to a family of Italian migrants, Paola and her family moved back to Genova, in Italy, when she was nine. There, she was immersed in the vibrant Italian culture and fostered her passion for cooking.
Paola emigrated to England at 17-years-old and "didn't speak a word of English" but quickly made a life for herself here. She went to university to study marketing and carved out a professional career, though always felt something was missing.
After stunning her friends by sharing that she'd made pasta from scratch one evening, Paola spotted a gap in the market. The ECHO visited Flour Will Fly to chat with her about her business, and the importance of honouring her fiancé, Andy, after his tragic death last year.
Sitting at one of the expansive tables in the quirky venue - down Oriel Close off Water Street - Paola's passion, warmth and creativity was instantly recognisable. Her voice is gentle and measured, and she gestured expressively with her hands during our conversation.
Paola, 33, said: "I worked in agencies for eight years - completely different to this but I don't think I ever enjoyed marketing from day one. I remember one day talking to a friend and I mentioned I made pasta from scratch and they were blown away - especially five years ago, where the concept of a 'foodie' wasn't really a thing.
"I was shocked too - I just thought people made their own pasta from scratch. From there, I started talking to people about it and had some friends round and showed them how to [make pasta] and they said I really should be teaching people."
Paola started the business with her fiancé, Andy. She paused, then continued: "At the time, I had a partner and we were together for 12 years and we were engaged, but Andy died last year. He had spinal cancer and he died.
"We started the business together. Andy always supported me and we worked together to make it happen. I remember talking to Andy and we wanted to do something that wasn't just going to a restaurant in Liverpool, but it was also an activity - the food is part of a bigger experience here.
"We sell an experience - you make the food, there's charcuterie boards with it and drinks, so it's a full experience. Everyone is sitting together and having the food and you're talking to different people. It's keeping his memory alive."
Before the venue was transformed into the cool and quirky setting it is today, it was "derelict". Paola and Andy gutted the site, restoring it sympathetically to respect the history and style of the building. The re-plastered walls are painted in a bright, airy white, while an abundance of plants add pops of colour and a touch of the outside to the space.
There are shelves packed with authentic Italian produce available to purchase, while brightly coloured tulips in wicker baskets, and various pots and vases in shades of yellow and blue conjure reminders of Italian cafes and laid-back restaurants. It's like being in the kitchen of a very cool, talented and welcoming friend.
Looking around the space, Paola said with a little laugh: "You should've seen it when we got the space, it was completely derelict - there was a hole in the floor." Now, it welcomes a host of people of all ages and skill levels.
Paola continued: "I love running the classes; spending time with people that appreciate food as much as I do. I love getting people in the class that don't have much experience in the kitchen and they think it's going to be really difficult and as they go through the class, you see their confidence grow and they end up making really good pasta. It's so satisfying to see that.
"There's a certain point in the class, when they cut the tagliatelle, and you see it click in their minds and that they know they can do it. Seeing the change in them through the class is amazing - people hug me at the end."
Of her hopes for the future, Paola said: "Ideally, we want to expand. We've brought in three new classes - a dessert class, a pizza class, and a pasta making class - [and] our ambition is to double the number of classes. At the moment, we have a small deli and we want to expand that to include more products and we do have ambitions of selling our own fresh pasta in the deli.
"There's nothing like fresh pasta made on the day. We use fresh Italian eggs, we work with one of the best Italian flour mills so our flour is really good quality as well so you will taste the difference with our pasta - not only because it's fresh but because the ingredients are such high quality."
Reflecting on her journey so far, Paola added: "The first three years [of doing this] it was a side hustle, just a weekend thing. I had my marketing job during the week and then I'd do this at the weekends. We used to work with restaurants - the Olive on Castle Street, we used to use their space in the mornings when they were closed. We worked for two years with Rudy's and they were really good to us, they were so enthusiastic about our class, we had such a good time working with them.
"It's funny because my plan was to get this space and have six months testing the waters, then I'd know and I'd quit my job, but two days in, I knew I just wanted to do this job so went full time, quit my other job and did this. Best thing I've ever done."
Flour Will Fly can be found at Unit 4, 14 Water Street, Liverpool, L2 8TD. To make a booking, click here.
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