Getting love from their neighbour

PAUL LAMBIS speaks to two boys in Australia who have brought the Yiayia next door’s recipes to a wider audience and discovers a poignant story behind the move

It was a murder that shocked the quiet Melbourne suburb of Reservoir, and it took a heavy toll on the victim’s close-knit Italian family, particularly Daniel and Luke Mancuso. “It didn’t feel real at first,” Luke said. “Our mum was a wonderful, loving, and selfless woman.”

In July 2013, Teresa Mancuso, a 49-year-old flight attendant, was stabbed to death by her estranged husband Fernando Paulino. Four years later Paulino was convicted of the brutal murder and is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence. “We didn’t just lose our mum; we also lost our father,” Luke said.

Ten years later, Daniel and Luke are still dealing with the aftermath of their mother’s death. Their extended family and the Reservoir community have been most supportive. However, it was the generosity of their elderly Greek neighbour, who they call Yiayia, that drew the brothers out of tragedy.

The brothers are open and honest about what happened to their mother that fateful night, the psychological trauma that resulted and how they have dealt with their grief, and their exceptionally close relationship with their ‘adoptive’ grandmother, Yiayia Nina.

Both Daniel and Luke describe their childhood as “relatively happy,” and considered their parents continuous arguments as a normal part of life. “Our father was quite aggressive and often verbally abused our mother. We would either go back to our rooms and turn on music to drown out the noise, or we would go out and visit our friends and neighbours to escape the situation.

“However, when things really got out of hand at home, we would remain indoors for our mother’s safety and comfort,” Luke explained.

Teresa eventually mustered the courage to separate from her husband, and she even obtained an intervention order against him after he repeatedly threatened to kill her. Two weeks before the couple was scheduled to appear in court to finalise their divorce, Teresa was murdered in the garage of her Reservoir home.

“It was a huge shock for us because you never expect things to unfold that way,” Luke said.

According to Daniel and Luke, their father had repeatedly threatened to kill their mother and told them that he would kill her before giving her anything he had worked so hard for. The boys were living with their father at the time because they both realised it would be in their mother’s best interests to keep a close eye on him. “We both felt we were doing the right thing in that regard,” they said.

Soon after her death, Daniel and Luke returned to their mother’s house and began receiving delicious Greek meals from their neighbour Nina, who would pass her homecooked meals over the fence.

Daniel began sharing videos of Yiayia and her famous ‘over-the-fence’ meals on his social media accounts, but the overwhelming response to their neighbour’s acts of kindness prompted him to open a dedicated social media account for Yiayia that would showcase her Greek dishes as well as her generosity with the larger community.

Positive feedback poured in almost immediately, resulting in numerous opportunities for Daniel and Luke. “We didn’t expect it to be as big as it is now,” Daniel told the Cyprus Mail. “What began as a bit of fun evolved into the foundation of the cookbook, Yiayia Next Door, which also serves as a physical legacy of our mum’s memory.”

Yiayia Next Door is a collection of traditional recipes from their Greek neighbour Nina, a kind and selfless woman who, even after the story went viral, refuses to have her face shown in photographs. Although Daniel and Luke reveal that she was born in a small village in Greece, Yiayia – who lives with her husband ‘Papou’ – prefers to remain behind the scenes while passing heart-warming meals over the fence.

“Yiayia’s food is pure comfort,” Daniel and Luke said. “From spanakopita to tiropita, from chickpea and lentil soups to moussaka and yemista, from grilled lamb and keftedes to delectable baklava and custard-filled galaktoboureko, Yiayia Next Door is a book about the power of food to bring people together.”

But the book is more than that. It is a story about love forged in tragedy, the importance of connection, and how simple acts like cooking a meal for someone can transform lives and restore hope.

Since the book’s release, Daniel and Luke have received thousands of messages and phone calls from people who have been deeply moved and feel a part of the boys’ story. In addition to the cookbook, they have become advocates against family violence and have raised money for charity. “A portion of the proceeds from the book is being donated to the Australian Childhood Foundation, an organisation that works to protect children from family violence,” Daniel said.

In addition to their cookbook and philanthropy, Daniel and Luke have launched a line of Yiayia Next Door merchandise, such as aprons, tea towels, and tote bags, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.

“We are dedicated to inspiring kindness and encouraging people to ‘love thy neighbour’ as the most powerful antidote to violence,” they said. “Yiayia Next Door reflects our emphasis on having fun, rather than being buried in sadness. And we can thank our Greek neighbour Yiayia Nina for that.”