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The restaurants in the UK reopened a few days ago and this is a great opportunity for all of us to try tasteful dishes just like at home, prepared with passion by talented chefs. At Opal Transfer, we encourage the Romanian community in the UK to support their nationals’ businesses, as we admire their courage, passion, and initiative. This is why we bring to you today Marlena’s story, the chef and owner of Dracula's House, a popular traditional Romanian restaurant in north London. This woman nourishes our hopes, the ones who work hard abroad, to offer a better future to their families. 

Marlena Botezatu is well-known to the Romanians, as she was one of the finalists of the popular Romanian cooking show ”Chefi la cuțite” (Chefs with knives). “My name is Marlena Botezatu, I’m 50 years old and I come from London”. This is how Marlena described herself, with modesty, two years ago, before she became famous. Her magic plates, where she carefully and passionately assembled her delicious chocolate desserts, caught the jury’s attention and the Romanians’ sympathies.

 

The life story of Marlena, the successful Romanian chef who lives in the UK, is what impresses us most. Arrived in London over ten years ago, Marlena started from the bottom, just like a Cinderella: “I left my son, Dragoș, and my mother, at the gate of our house. I arrived here, in London, without being able to speak any English, and without knowing anyone here. I got a room attendant job – it was the easiest job you could find. While doing this, I asked the permission to work in the restaurant in between shifts – I would have done anything, just to learn and increase my chances to succeed, as a Romanian in the UK.”  Step by step, Marlena self-improved, learned the language, and managed to work for restaurants owned by world-renowned chefs, where she found her inspiration: ”I didn’t get any qualifications, though I had always dreamed of this; nevertheless, I never stopped learning, learning, learning, all by myself.”

Marlena met her second husband in the UK and together they decided to turn back home, to Bacău City, where they opened a restaurant, on the outskirts. This was her life’s dream, but it ended soon, as Marlena divorced. This twist of fate brought her back to England, with three children (the elder son and the twins from her second marriage): ”I came to England with my three children, a small suitcase, two pillows, and a blanket – and with no money, again. I suddenly woke up in the same place as before.”

The woman’s motivation to succeed in the UK for the sake of her children was very strong. As Marlena confesses in this video, dedicated to Opal Transfer Romanian community, she would go extra miles to accomplish her dreams and offer the best to her kids: ”Perseverance is my strength and this is obvious, when thinking of all the challenges I passed through over my life”.

Today, with the help of her children and the great passion for cooking, Marlena is a successful Romanian woman in the UK: she owns a catering company and a restaurant that is popular among the Romanians who live in London. She now describes herself, with humour, as the feminine version of the famous British chef Gordon Ramsay. Marlena is a great inspiration for all of us, at Opal Transfer, as well for other Romanians who live and work abroad.

Are you a Romanian in the UK? Contact us now, we are happy to help you, as we share common experiences. For 17 years, Opal Transfer, a company exclusively created by and for expats, has been supporting the people who come to work and live a better life in the UK. For all these people, we offer fast, safe, and easy money transfers to their loved ones back home. Marlena, the protagonist of our story above, is one of the 300,000+ people who trust and recommend Opal Transfer to their friends and acquaintances. You can also be one of them.