In Montreal’s old, multicultural neighborhood Mile End, we’re greeted by Café Olimpico’s Jonathan Vanelli, who at the age of 31 is the cafe’s third generation of owner. We’re at the landmark store, opened by his grandfather Rocco over 50 years ago. Its interior is simple yet characterful, cozy green leather seats and a palette of wood paneled brown speaks to its 70s origins. A green awning emblazoned with the Olympic rings greets customers in the doorway, a nod to when Montreal hosted summer games in 1976. Most iconic of all are the shirts and flags of soccer teams that adorn the walls inside. Between jerseys of Napoli, both Milan teams and Rocco’s own beloved club Lazio, are black and white photos of the old neighborhood, where newly arrived immigrants from Italy, Portugal and Greece once all lived side by side, grappling with their lack of French and English together. Jonathan is quick to point these pictures out.
‘That’s my grandmother and grandfather. He passed away in 2005, having arrived in 1960. He met my grandmother in Rome, a classic love story. He worked as a roofer, while she was a cleaning lady. It’s like something out of a movie; she saw him from a window, he whistled at her - unbelievable. From Marone, my grandmother came here first, followed by my grandfather. You know how it goes - once one person comes, the whole family follows in droves.”
Behind us his staff make coffee using La Cimbali espresso machines from Italy. They sing, laugh and greet regulars like family from behind a counter stocked daily with irresistibly fresh pastries and cannoli served in wrappers, checkered green and white.
Jonathan explains that Olimpico was just one of his grandfather’s many business ventures over the years. After selling his pizzeria across the street, Rocco wanted a place where he could watch and discuss soccer and he wanted it for the neighborhood too. A home away from home.
Soccer is still shown there everyday and this sense of reliability and a continuity of his grandfather’s vision is what steers Jonathan’s management of the café. They use the same roast of coffee (including five blends from Italy and one from Montreal) hand-picked by his grandfather 55 years ago. Jonathan recently met the grandson of the founder of one of those blends in Italy, continuing the relationship their grandparents started half a century ago.
‘My son, he’ll definitely work here one day. He might cry in the bathroom just like I did, but it’s tough love. He’s only 10 months old now, and I named him after my grandfather, Rocco. It’s like coming full circle.”
The rest of the menu hasn’t changed much since Rocco’s day either and nearly all of their products come from Italy after thorough research and development. Though Jonathan admits, with a smile that there have been a couple of concessions of the years.
‘It took 20 years to get oat milk or any milk alternative. We used to have just regular milk. People would come and say, ‘I’m lactose intolerant.’ I’d say, ‘Well, too bad. We’re not going to have five different milks. This is the way we do it.’ We have one size coffee; you can’t get an extra-extra-large. Americans come here and say it’s too small, but this is the way we do things. We’re not going to change it for anybody. I feel like people appreciate that.
Olimpico sits in a vibrant neighborhood which includes many of Montreal’s iconic and historic Jewish businesses. Delis, Hasidic bakeries and much loved bagel shops are all within walking distance of the café. Nowadays, trendy and vintage clothing stores lend an air of hipsterdom to Mile End, but it wasn’t always the case. Jonathan elaborates, ‘I have this 80-year-old man, my grandfather’s friend; he was here last week. He was reminiscing about how this used to be the ghetto 50 years ago. He said this was the most dangerous place in Montreal in the ‘60s.”
Jonathan still greets other friends of his grandfather at Olimpico, who he began serving as a 15 year old busboy, before working his way up the ranks. Inevitably those numbers have thinned over the years, ‘which is sad because they built this place. They’re part of the history, part of the furniture.’ he says in a pensive manner, yet that doesn’t stop him ruminating on the future of Olimpico. ‘My son, he’ll definitely work here one day. He might cry in the bathroom just like I did, but it’s tough love. He’s only 10 months old now, and I named him after my grandfather, Rocco. It’s like coming full circle.”
“The lineups were insane, stretching down the street...They found a sense of normalcy here.”
Unsurprisingly for a business that has endured for so long, they have faced their fair share of challenges over the years. A fire occurred in 2005 in the same year Jonathan’s grandfather passed away. The original floorboards and ceiling remained intact and Jonathan’s family took great lengths to restore the interior to Rocco’s vision. A week after Rocco’s death a businessman came into Olimpico with a blank check, wanting to buy them out. Jonathan’s mom refused, declaring , ‘I have a son, and he’s going to take over this place. It’s about family.’ She ripped up the check right in front of them. ‘An amazing story.’ Jonathan laughs.
With the arrival of COVID, Jonathan insisted on keeping Olimpico open during the height of the pandemic. ‘Why not?’ I thought. We couldn’t leave our house, so we opened this window for takeout. The lineups were insane, stretching down the street...They found a sense of normalcy here - being able to leave their homes, have a coffee, and chat. It was like a gift during those times, honestly. It created more of a sense of community, which stems from what my grandfather started. It’s all about community - immigrants coming here with nothing, hanging out with friends, and bringing that back. It’s important to stick to your core values, your traditions - it’s all about family. Don’t follow trends; just be yourself.”
Café Olimpico, 124 Saint-Viateur Street West, Montréal, Canada
Words: Kieran Owen
