“Lovin’ Niagara” Ana Ruiz Moreno & Lucas Baldoni [by Mary Leahy]

“Lovin’ Niagara”

Ana Ruiz Moreno & Lucas Baldoni

Argentina brings to mind a handful of images — soccer greats like Maradona and Messi, tango, and nowadays, even the Pope. But, mention Argentina in the Third Street neighborhood of Niagara Falls and the Baldoni family tops the list.

Ana and Lucas arrived in February 2011 as the management team for the former Red Lounge Hostel. They married in a civil ceremony in December 2011 at Niagara Falls City Hall, returned home that spring for a traditional Catholic Church ceremony and held their reception on the grounds of Ana’s childhood home in their hometown of Pergamino. Their first daughter arrived in August 2013 and her sibling is due in May.

After the Hostel was sold in 2014, the couple secured positions in the hospitality industry, but continued to live in the Falls. They applied for and were granted green cards, moved uptown to a more family oriented neighborhood with a yard, became parishioners at St. Joseph’s, enrolled Emma in daycare and are studying for United States Citizenship. The Baldoni’s are lovin’ Niagara and are here to stay. They think it is a great place to work and enjoy a high quality of life that is affordable.

Lucas was eager to discuss his experience of growing a business in the Cataract City and would encourage others to consider investing in his adopted home. Although at first he struggled with the language, he was able to acclimate to the community’s culture even though it is 10,000 miles from his connections and his comfort zone. He found local support and through hard work and his entrepreneurial spirit was able to achieve his goals. According to Lucas, “The sky is the limit here.”

As the Property Manager for Erdco Development http://www.erdcodevelopment.com/, Lucas is excited about the future of Niagara Falls. He enjoys working with this team of visionaries that is equally optimistic about the area’s potential for growth. “Erdco has a wide variety of facilities that are ready to be occupied from storefronts to vacation rentals” and Lucas is particularly interested in the later. He is eager to promote tourism internationally as well as business locally. He is grateful to his employer, Craig Avery, for the opportunity to learn the intricacies of doing business in the US and his colleague, Chris Stoianoff, for his insight into communicating with the community.

There are a few things you should know about the Baldonis. Their Argentinian goodbye is the polar opposite of the Irish goodbye. They take the time to kiss everyone on the cheek upon arrival and prior to leaving. This goes for girls, guys, Grandma, and even pets. Okay, the last one is a lie. But, you do it even if it takes at least ten minutes and requires stretching across tables. 

The national calendar of AR has fifteen government holidays, including eight long weekends. The US has just ten official holidays, and the only people who really get all of them deliver mail or work in banks. In Argentina everyone celebrates everything and to the extreme. There are goodbye parties before a two-week long vacation and a welcome back party upon returning from that trip. Also, the siesta is part of the culture there. Small businesses close mid-day for a lazy lunch or coffee, but stay open later. Dinner at 11 p.m. is not unusual, even for the children.

A special meal will include well charred barbecued steak with a great wine like Malbec from Argentina, of course. Their barbecue has nothing to do with sweet sauce. Barbecue (asado) is almost a national pastime, usually a minimum four-hour-long affair involving slow-grilled meat, eating, drinking, and hanging out. And the ice cream dessert (helado) is just a phone call away. Everything that can be consumed from booze and ice to milk and eggs can be delivered in Argentina, even McDonald’s.

While not the most adventurous eaters (pasta is their go-to dinner) Lucas and Ana love Mate, a unique hot, caffeinated beverage that is sipped in a gourd-like mug. Mate is as much a cultural tradition and social bonding opportunity as anything else and they practice British tea time as well. Fernet (a dark liqueur) mixed with Coke is the preferred adult beverage, but rarely available in the US.

Argentines get fired up about everything; there is obviously a lot of Italian blood in Argentina. These people are passionate when it comes to …everything! The Baldonis approach, discuss and believe in every topic with the same fervor, whether it is the World Cup or Dulce de leche. And, the Argentine version of Spanish is not what you learned in high school. It is a mash-up with Italian that has its own world of slang and sounds spoken in verse with syllables reversed.

In Argentina being in a rush is less common than in the US. People regularly socialize, often informally, in town. Lucas and Ana found that a local venue, Park Place Market, reminded them of home and are excited about the upcoming season. Ana can’t wait to reconnect with friends there after this long cold winter and do a little shopping. Relationships mean everything to Argentines. Lucas and Ana will say it and will also back it up – an Argentine friend is a friend for life.

[From education to art, people in Niagara Falls are making fantastic things happen!  “Lovin’ Niagara” is a series of articles by contributor Mary Leahy highlighting some of our outstanding citizens and events. Do you know someone who you feel should be featured?  Contact us!]