Ania Aniola

A line of people extended through the store, out the front door, and continued down the block. The communist era and Martial Law were active in the northwestern region of Poland. Ania was a little girl at the time and was instructed to stand in line, sometimes for hours on end.

“What I remember was that there was never any food and the stores were always empty. It was really quite crazy. We were little kids, so they would send us to stand in line. We would stand there, sometimes all day, just to get a kilo of sugar. That was what was rationed…” She says.

“I did eat a lot of interesting things at that time, such as Czernina (soup made from duck blood). I remember my grandmother making it with tripe kidneys brains. The lack of food and long lines started in 1981, when Poland declared a state of war. This lasted through the fall of the Berlin wall. From 1981-1983 there was nothing available to purchase. My grandmother had to go out to the country to purchase whole animals and process them for food. The blood soup I recall eating required that they hang the whole duck upside down to collect the blood.”

Ania Aniola was an only child born in communist Poland. She moved to the east coast of the United States at 13 and migrated west later in life. Ania is the founder of Ania’s Table – a catering and private chef business here in Napa Valley. “A lot of what I do is prepare dinners for special anniversaries. Most of my catering is high end. I recently hosted a lovely couple who were staying at a winery’s guest house. They were celebrating 25 years together. It was like cooking for friends. They were so interested and grateful. I cooked for them two nights in a row.” Ania said.

Growing up under a communist regime impacted Ania in more ways than one. She values simplicity, takes great care never to waste anything, and has a grateful approach to life.

“I hate wasting food. I feel very bad when I waste it. I have an amazing food cost, because of my portion control. I think that comes from my appreciation for my ingredients and not having a lot growing up.”

In Poland, Ania was always surrounded by family. She did not have any brothers or sisters, but remembers being in the company of many cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Her grandmother, on her father’s side, was the one whom she spent the most time with and valued their relationship very much.

“She was very religious and went to church twice a day. My grandmother was also a very good chef and baker. She made wonderful desserts. It was always nice watching her cook. She was a mellow woman but had a tough life. We would hang out a lot, often taking long walks in the park. I was 16 and here in the States when she passed away. It was a very sad time for me.”

At 13 years old, Ania found herself in a new country. “It was crazy. I was in New Jersey and went to school here up through college. It was really hard at first. I didn’t speak English and got thrown into school. After some time, I got a grasp of the language, and school became a breeze. They were teaching things that I had already learned, so I got pretty lazy, and slacked off most of high school.”

When college started, Ania had developed poor study habits. “It was much harder. I initially started in economics and eventually shifted to psychology. That became too much work. It was not my style to just pound the books. Either it came naturally, or I wanted to move on to something else.” Ania said.

During this time, Ania got married. “That marriage taught me that I wanted to be independent. I was young and didn’t know what was going on. We had fun, traveled a lot, but I learned that I didn’t want to depend on someone anymore. It’s not a good feeling to be in a relationship where your life revolves around another person. I don’t think that’s healthy.”

Shortly after this period in her life, Ania had a good friend whom she respected, suggest that she go to cooking school. And a whole new world of possibility opened up right before her eyes…

Ania was 28 years old and lived in NYC. She was modeling at the time but was ready for a change. Her friend, who was a chef, noticed she had talent, and suggested she go to cooking school.

“I looked at a few schools in NYC, but he said, if you’re serious about this, you need to go to the Culinary Institute of America, because that’s the only one that matters. His concept was not that I go work in a restaurant but get a corporate job and do research/development, because that was the type of work he did.”

Ania applied to the Culinary Institute of America in the Hudson Valley. “It was a beautiful drive and my mom came with me. When I got there, I was like, WOW, this place is SO cool! It was like a playground for adults. I was bouncing off all of the walls.”

Ania got accepted and her new career was about to take shape. Shortly into her new program, she realized that she didn’t want to stay upstate where it was cold. “I asked them to transfer my application to the campus here is St. Helena. That was a great decision! I came out, and off the bat, got an amazing roommate. We are still friends to this day. I felt very fortunate. School was great too. It was an easy transition and I became part of the community in no time.”

Ania developed her craft over the years and has this to say about what cooking means to her. “The act of cooking is very relaxing to me. Sometimes it’s hectic, of course, but if you give it time and plan your day, it’s very meditative. It’s very peaceful and I’ve always enjoyed food.

What I like most about cooking is the eating part. I feel like if I make it, I’m going to enjoy it. It’s nice to be able to fix something up and share it with others, too. To share dishes I’ve created is fun for me. The joy I receive is multifaceted.”

“I never thought I would get into cooking.” Ania says. “I thought psychology would be my profession. Maybe I will go down that path again someday…”

Ania has the innate ability to see through people’s struggles. “Not anything specific per se, just life things. I can see through their problems. I think I have a gift. I often wonder why people complicate their lives in the way that they do.

I can eliminate well. I think I would be a good editor. I can clearly see the obstacles people bring into their lives. I would love to be able to help others figure out how to live simple, stress free lives. People do things that unnecessarily complicate their lives, make it harder, and gives them stress. It frustrates me to see the people I care for do this.

I keep my life very simple. I can pick-up and go anywhere, anytime. I love the idea of living a simple, uncluttered life. It’s kind of how I cook. My plates are very uncluttered. I get good quality product, serve it clean, keep it simple, and cook it right.”

Ania’s business is all word of mouth. She does not advertise. Clients who are looking for a luxury, fine-dining catering service, need not look further. You’ll be happy that you did…