In the life of Ekaterina Mateeva there is a little bit of everything: she grew up in Italy, where her parents moved, to escape the communist regime, studied, graduated from Isef, became a teacher of swimming and water polo, and worked hard to manage to put aside savings, that will allow her to become an entrepreneur in the shoe sector once she returns to Sofia.

She has made "many sacrifices," as she likes to emphasize, which has not prevented her from to have a son, Edoardo, whose father is one of the hundred most famous chefs in Italy. But to let's go in order and let Catherine have the floor.

Does "many sacrifices" mean that you worked in many places? It certainly does. I used to live in Podgibonsi with my family. There was a period when everyone Monday morning I'd go to a family's to iron, then I'd work in the shop shoe shop, which marked my life. From 9.00 to 13.00 I worked there. From 1.30 I was in the pool, with the boys, and I coached the water polo team at Podjibonsi - and at the end of every Sunday from 6.00 in the morning until the evening I worked in a bar.

Let's go back to the shoe store, which was a turning point in her life. How did did things work out? I was already a trainer, as I said, but one day the owner of the local shoe store shoe shop offered me a job with her, where the Antonio Minó featured high-quality creations. And lo and behold, Minó taught me how to make shoes. We were already towards the end of the 90s.

And how long did it take you to learn this craft? After about eight years, I felt able to start my own business in this sector. But one never stops learning.

You worked in Italy, but your heart remained in Bulgaria. Had you already decided to return home? No, my heart is always in Italy, which taught me everything. When I came back to Bulgaria, visiting relatives and for other reasons, I noticed that the shoe shops in Sofia were mediocre and poor. So I decided that I would return one day to create shop where I can advise people in their choices, especially in terms of style, design and elegance. I like to make suggestions because the shoe complements the character of the person. And what I learned in Italy is very important.

But at some point you returned to Sofia. Have you already planned what you want to do? Yes, I made my dream come true here, thanks to my teacher. Now I have three shops named "Minó 1923", in his honor. The family that bought the store in Podjibónsi today, is a wonderful memory for me, because Mrs. Michela Liaminti herself was also precious to me teacher in life. If my dream has come true, I owe it to her as well.