Maria Abbate Paul with Wilden.herbals: insight and curiosity

Maria Abbate Paolo is the owner of Marì Urban Coffee Pastry Shop:

Background: Where did your career as a pastry chef come from?

A few years ago, I took a Pastry Training Course at the Eccelsa Institute in Alberobello. After the internship, I was recalled by the Institute itself for the position of Laboratory Assistant in the School, a role I held for four years. There I worked alongside important personalities, from Ernst Knam to Amaury Guichon. This experience certainly served to open my mind to realities other than those in the country. In the meantime, I had several experiences in pastry and catering and at a certain point I decided to launch into this entrepreneurial adventure, trying to bet on my idea. We opened Marì – Urban Coffee Pasticceria in Polignano a Mare in October 2019. I am really happy, because I did not expect this kind of interest from the customer, especially bringing ingredients and products that are really very different from the usual. With Covid we were interrupted at the most beautiful moment, but it’s not a problem, now we have to roll up our sleeves and start again, but we are young, we can do it! In fact, we have used this time off to work on new products, recipes, ideas….

Plants and Nature: an anecdote in your life/profession.

Personally, I draw so much on nature at the product level, using basic ingredients as much as possible , avoiding processed products. For me it is very important to use products from the territory. I live in Apulia, a very rich territory, where nature is an important element.

I have in the works a line of desserts inspired by the land, centered on the use of local products: plants, flours, fruits… is a work in progress that aims to enhance the small realities of Puglia.

When do you feel “healthy and wild”?

To do this work you have to be like that, wild. Here in my country I feel wild, because I have decided to bring a concept of business a little bit different from what we were used to. I am trying to disrupt the paradigm that wants it to be easier and cheaper to use ready-made products. That is my bet: to use products that are as simple as possible, but at the same time good, which is a bit of a way of working that we have lost. I often come up against people who don’t understand this mission, and so part of my job is to educate the customer on the concept.

If I told you “Share Your Nature,” what would you tell me?

I love the idea of sharing the more authentic nature of my work. I love to show what’s behind the product we serve in the bakery. Together with my staff, we try to be open to sharing our nature: young, bustling, a little wild.

Some customers tell me, “I like coming here because I never know what I’m going to find, every day I find different recipes.” I have the ability to change menus according to the seasons, ideas, and this is crucial for me. I don’t get bored, I am constantly creating new concepts and recipes that stimulate me all the time.

Tell us about your recipe?

I decided to create a simple recipe that could be replicated easily. Yes it is a shortbread, a princely product with which we accompany Wilden infusions here at our place: a simple cookie, ideal for accentuating the aroma of Remedia and having an all-around taste experience.

The Remedium of choice-I used Morning-can be left to steep in the cream and then removed or crumbled directly into the mixture, depending on each person’s preference.

Photos by Maria Abbate Paul