Eating out in Bulgaria

"When will they finally learn how to roast beef?!" – if you have ever stared at a plate of Black Angus with the texture of a shoe sole, stop everything and book a table at Kasapi, or Butchers. This relatively new but ambitious restaurant in one of Plovdiv's most unremarkable districts – Komatevo – has the mission to show how perfect flavour can be when beef and pork come from special breeds, are properly cut, aged under optimal conditions, grilled over quality charcoal – and served with care.

What does it take to create one of the most beloved eating places in Sofia? For Stella Byfield, founder of the hugely popular vegan spot Edgy Veggy, the answer includes inspiration, bravery, agility – and a leap of faith. A graduate from Varna's First Language School, she enrolled in a college in upstate New York where she studied Performing Arts and started a career in theatre in New York City. Her creative spirit brought her further, inspiring to write and publish two children's books. And then, Stella Byfield and her husband decided to resettle in Bulgaria.

My dear Ambar and Kumkum,

Greetings from Sofia: a place you have been to, briefly and only once, 24 years ago, during your extensive travels around the world! As for me, I am here for the second time in my career on my eighth assignment abroad. The first time was as a first secretary in 1988-1990, a time of crucial political and socio-economic changes in Europe and particularly in this region. The effects of those changes are still continuing today.

There's a famous joke about a British tourist in Paris who, mustering his meagre schoolboy linguistic skills, ordered a citron presseé in a café. He was beginning to savour the prospect of a freshly squeezed lemon juice until the French waiter laughed and asked if he wanted a squashed car!