An Italian infusion influences taste at Holbeck’s Northern Monk

Luigi Ragaglia is telling me about fresh pasta, homemade pesto and bolognese sauce. It’s hard to keep up with the 39-year-old as he explains the ethos behind Northern Monk’s latest kitchen takeover - Luigi Street Food Italiano! - at their Holbeck base.

As a native Italian - he grew up in Porto Torres, Sardinia - and didn’t leave his home town until he was 22, his Italian accent is as pronounced as his passion for cooking. And yet, when he delivers certain words there’s the very edge of a Yorkshire accent. After all, he has been here for the best part of a decade.

“Leeds is the first place I came to after leaving my hometown,” says the 39-year-old. “When I first came here, I will admit I was a little bit scared. It was huge compared to the village I grew up in.”

The leap from Italy to the UK - and Leeds - came about almost by chance. “I was working in a bar and two girls I went to school with came in and we got talking and they said they were flying to Leeds. I said I would go with them... one of them went and bought me a ticket and gave it to me a week later, so I couldn’t get out of it.

“I remember going to tell parents I was leaving. People didn’t think I’d stick it out. You have to remember I was coming from a village where I knew pretty much everyone and which was about the size of Chapel Allerton, to somewhere I knew no-one. A decade on, I’m still here.”

Luigi’s first job was - serendipitously - at Luigi’s, Leeds but he has also worked at Bibi’s and Livin’ Italy, working as General Manager and working front of house. So, how does he feel about moving into the kitchen?

“I’ve always cooked,” he beams. “It’s something I grew up with, everyone did it, it’s almost second nature to me. This is also something I’ve always really wanted to do.

“I’m here until the end of March, we’ll be serving delicious take-away food - pasta fresca - which means fresh pasta. My food is comfort food, it’s the same bolognese I would make at home. We work with small batches so we have the chance to keep it authentic. So, we are talking four or five kilos at a time and then we make fresh. We can do a plate of pasta in six minutes, the fresh pasta cooks much quicker and while this dish might cost you £12 in some restaurants, here, we can do it for £7.”

Believe it or not but before Luigi left Italy, he was training to become the captain of a ship, which included navigating by the stars. In 2009, he left the UK briefly to work on a farm in Australia, “picking pineapples and driving tractors” but Leeds lured him back. Working in restaurants and bars seems to be in his blood. So much so he has started a mobile pop-up restaurant, which can be seen in Central Square, near the Lazy Lounge, every first Tuesday of the month, in addition to his take-over at Northern Monk.

Nick Pounder, Northern Monk’s Area Manager, is equally enthusiastic about the partnership. I meet him at the original home of Northern Monk, one of the city’s most effervescent companies. Wend your way down Globe Road, past the Egyptian frontage of Temple Works, then almost double back along Water Lane and take a sneaky left down Marshall Street and you will find Northern Monk occupying the Old Flax Store, a grand enough building on its own but one of the smaller of the myriad of red brick mills. Ten years ago, you might have passed this way and thought the area was down at heel but looking at all the cafes, restaurants, bars and other businesses currently enrobing themselves in the area’s quilted history, you might swear the industrial revolution never left. And in a way, that’s what Northern Monk are all about.

“We have had a lot of food vendors come down to do takeovers and Luigi is passionate about it and I think that shows. Part of our company ethos is about community and co-operation. If we can give something back by supporting talented local food businesses, then we will.”

It’s that ethos of collaboration which has seen Northern Monk become one of the city’s fastest growing businesses, from its roots in 2013 to today, where it enjoys an internationally renowned reputation, forming partnerships not just right on its doorsteps but with brewers from across the Atlantic.

Nick explains: “Within the craft beer community, it’s not a famine mentality, it’s more of a feast mentality. By that I mean there’s plenty of people in the scene and we work better together, by creating partnerships.”

While Northern Monk has its core range of craft beers - with names like New World (6.2%), Eternal (4.1%), Origin (5.7%), Faith (5.4%) and Striding Edge (2.8%) - it has over the years created dozens of individual brews, including many for what it calls its ‘Patrons’: local artists, businesses, athletes and so on who Northern Monk feel have something to offer. Each patron gets seven bespoke craft ales, complete with its own uniquely designed can.

One such is a duo of street artists from Manchester, Nomad Clan, who were responsible for the giant Matthew Murray mural on the side of one of the many red brick edifices, which greets train passengers as they enter the city (and, incidentally, is soon to be no more, thanks to ongoing demolition work). Another is athlete Ricky Lightfoot, for whom Striding Edge was created, and then there’s graphic designer Ben Mather, whose artwork also adorns the sides of Northern Monk’s distinctive cans.

Communications Manager Eve Lindsay adds: “The idea is to work with people who have the same values as us. We’re very much about supporting the north, supporting Holbeck and making new partnerships.”

Factfile: Upcoming events...

Valentine’s Day at Northern Monk Refectory (Feb 14): Starter, main and a drink for two people for £24. Treat your nearest and dearest with a slap-up meal courtesy of Luigi Street Food Italiano!

Sports Day at Northern Monk with Against the Grain (Feb 27) : A fringe event for Cloudwater’s Friends & Family & Beer festival, brewers from Kentucky’s Against the Grain will be joining Northern Monk to host a beer-themed sports day, expect flipping tyres, tug ‘o’ war, hop and spoon races and strength trials accompanied by Against the Grain beer.

Wedding Open Day (Mar 3): Northern Monk’s Chapter Hall has hosted many beautiful weddings and this March they’re inviting you to look around the industrial space, meet the wedding planners and browse suppliers whilst listening to live music and sampling beer.

Hop City at Northern Monk Refectory (April 18-20): The UK’s first hop-led beer festival returns for its third instalment in 2019. A celebration of the humble hop, Hop City brings some of the leading masters of brewing from around the world to the UK. Expect juice bombs, DIPAs, sours and murk, there will be something for everyone. Tickets are strictly limited and sold on a first come first served basis, buy tickets via www.hopcity.co.uk.