The Legend of Lucia Murphy
A long time ago there lived the olive farmer Aurelio Felice with his wife Carmelina in a little village called Montescaglioso in the Italian region of Basilicata. They had four daughters and no son, however much they wished for one. Then, Carmelina gave Aurelio new hope of a boy. But when the child was born on Saturday the April 10th 1880 it was a girl again and her name was Lucia Felice.
Soon the farmer accepted his fate and was proud of his beautiful and strong daughters. Three of them helped him with the harvest and processing of the olives; the eldest led the sale and kept the books. Lucia, however, had a passion for cooking.
Even as a little girl she grew tomatoes and herbs and mixed them with her father’s oil and created the most wonderful pasta sauces. Lucia’s flavoured oils were so well known that fishermen came to barter their catch for a glass of her homemade delicacies.
As the years went by, some former residents of Montescaglioso became rich in America and donated a tremendous amount of money to restore the old parish church. The best craftsmen from all over Europe came to the village, among them the young stonemason Charles Murphy. And the rest is history: the young Irishman and Lucia fell in love at first sight and soon got married.
When his job was done, Charles and Lucia moved to Ireland. In their new home he built a greenhouse so that she could grow her Mediterranean herbs and cook her delicious meals. (This is why there is a small region in Ireland claims that pasta is actually a traditional Irish dish.)
Now we want to share Lucia Murphy’s wonderful dishes with you in our Gourmet Club and Guesthouse. No matter if you just want to enjoy a meal, celebrate a special day or get an insight into creative kitchen and culinary Mallorca – we, the heirs of Lucia Murphy’s legacy, want to celebrate food, aromas and the good life with you.