This piece was a finalist in Columbia Journalism's School 2026 Radio Race.

[Birds]

VO:

We’re in Grădinari, just outside Bucharest, in the courtyard of a ruined boyar mansion.

Around 1900, this place would fill with guests spending their summers here.

Marius:

The parties they hosted here in Grădinari always had elaborate menus.

These were exclusive gatherings.

It wasn’t easy to get on the guest list.

Parties here lasted a long time and were very lavish.

VO:

This is Marius Tudosiei. He bought the place and wants to give it a new life.

He loves the cuisine of southern Romania and says that, especially during spring, you should start at the market to find its flavors.

Marius:

You should always look for seasonal ingredients, because they’re the freshest and the most nutritious.

[Obor market ambiance]

Vendor (RO):

“Ten for you — I’ll give them for fifteen lei so you still have money for a coffee.

And you should know — sorrel is more expensive.”

Marius:

For example, in spring you’ll find sorrel.

Sorrel with rice is divine.

It surprises you — you don’t expect such depth of flavor from a simple leaf that grows wild in the fields.

Market seller:

I’m from the countryside, but I don’t know how to cook sorrel with rice.

You boil the rice, onion, and sorrel… right?

[Phone playing archival TV audio]

“This house of death…”

VO:

But this place has had another life.

It used to be a hospital-orphanage for abandoned children.

For a long time, their meals consisted mostly of porridge.

[Museum team rummaging]

Museum of Abandonment team:

“There are more objects here…

What you found in the archives comes back to life.”

VO:

Marius didn’t throw anything away from that chapter.

Instead, he invited the Museum of Abandonment to gather what remains —

and preserve the story.

Marius:

A toy… a ball… a doll’s head…

VO:

Soon, the mansion will fill again with old recipes, music, and life.

But it will also mark the memory of the children who lived — and suffered — here.