Arancini, cannoli and amaretti for Basel

There’s clattering and sizzling, knocking and beeping, chairs being moved, and lively chatter coming from every corner. Now and then snippets of Italian, banter, and laughter – everyone knows each other. The door opens and closes constantly, customers order espresso or caffè latte to go, accompanied by a Cornetto Mandorla or a Fagottino, a Sfogliatella Napoletana or sometimes just Amaretti. There is a peaceful bustle at Da Graziella, the little Sicilian enclave on Feldbergstrasse.

Sitting at the table is Carmela Petitjean-Guglielmino, one of Graziella’s daughters, who emigrated from Sicily to Switzerland with her husband Sebastiano in the late 1970s. “The two of them were hoping for a better future,” she explains. But the price was high. Guest workers were not allowed to bring their families with them back then, so the father came to Basel alone, while the four children, all aged between six and nine, stayed at a boarding school on the border to Ticino. “It wasn’t always easy,” Carmela recalls. “But we always understood; my parents had no other choice. They did all of this for us.’ 

From migrant worker to entrepreneur
When the permanent residence permit was granted after four years, the Guglielmino family was able to live together in Basel. And although Carmela’s parents had already run a small pasticceria in Sicily, it was a stroke of luck that led to Da Graziella – a birthday cake baked by her father was received so well that he started getting regular orders from then on and realised: there’s a niche here. ‘Back then, there weren’t any pastry shops in Basel and nobody drank latte macchiato either,’ laughs Carmela.

In 1985, the first Da Graziella opened on Feldbergstrasse. Mamma Graziella stood behind the counter every day. “Without ever speaking a word of German,” recalls Carmela. In 2002, the children took over the business. Carmela’s brothers Francesco and Martino, as well as her sister Maria, had always worked alongside their parents in the bakery and on the shop floor. Martino also spent several years working abroad as a pâtissier before returning to take over the business from their parents together with his siblings in 2001. Carmela herself had completed a banking apprenticeship and now handles all the administration. A lot has happened since the children took over the shop. Four Da Graziella branches, employing around 50 staff members, are now spread across Basel. Just as they used to help out at home and roll out cannoli pastry in every spare moment as children, everything still revolves around Da Graziella today. “We’re all incredibly hard-working,” smiles Carmela. “That, and the fact that the four of us siblings have always been very close, is why I knew right from the start that our concept would work.”

Pistachios from Bronte, honey from Bruderholz
The people of Basel love the unpretentious Sicilian hospitality and the wonderful Italian specialities. To this day, they can order in German, ma anche in italiano; most of the staff speak both languages. Arancini, cannoli, amaretti, cantucci, biscotti di mandorla, ‘everything is made in our bakery in Allschwil using our family’s old recipes,’ Carmela explains, not without pride. The pistachios and almonds naturally come from Sicily, the eggs from Therwil and the honey from Bruderholz. ­Regionality and sustainability are also key priorities at Da ­Graziella.

It is thanks to the boldness and perseverance of a Sicilian migrant worker and his hard-working family that Da Graziella exists today. ‘However, a story like this is only possible in Switzerland,’ Carmela emphasises. ‘In no other country can you open a business without speaking the local language.’ And in accent-free Swiss German, she adds: ‘We love our Sicilian roots, but Basel is our home!’ Meraviglioso, grazie!