his own wine and curing prosciutto for his family and friends. We used to grow our own vegetables in the garden and what we didn’t grow, someone else would so there would always be friends or relatives bringing over lemons, or silverbeet or tomatoes or oregano on a weekly basis. When I was young, my Mum worked at Italian restaurants around Hobart and my Dad was President of the Italian Club, Hobart Juventus soccer club and also founded his own soccer club – Hobart City Azzurri. He also became President of the Molise Association in Hobart and would host large functions and organise fundraising events. The kitchen really was the heart of our home and most nights were spent around the dinner table telling stories, eating and drinking. A career centered around food was an obvious step really – I don’t think I had much choice! My whole family was in hospitality in one way or another and despite an opportunity to pursue a career in real estate around the same time as I bought Harbour Lights, I opted to stick to what I knew best. I figured real estate would always be there, but the chance to purchase a business on the Hobart Waterfront would not be. • How did your working life begin? Funnily enough I remember during my high school days in the mid 80s, my brother Pompeo owned a pizza parlor in Moonah. I would walk there after school and wait for my Dad to pick me up and while I was waiting, my brother would ask me to help fill up ingredients or do other small jobs. As he was my older brother, I couldn’t say no but I remember how shy I was – I would run behind the counter and hide in the kitchen doing the jobs he gave me because I was embarrassed to face the customers! My brother was, I believe, the first pizza shop in Hobart to offer free home deliveries and this had such a positive impact on the business growth, that he was able to open another store in the City which years later I took over in partnership with a friend of mine. When the lease was up on this business, I went into partnership with my brother on a new pizza parlor named Valentinos in Derwent Park and worked here until we sold the business several years later. • September 1997 was an exciting time for you. Can you remember how you felt the day you opened the doors to the public? I do remember it quite clearly. I had a handover on the afternoon of Friday 26 September and I remember I was there very late on Friday night and all weekend scraping signage off the windows, taking down curtains and moving some things around to get ready for a Monday opening. All weekend I had people tapping on the windows asking if we were open and I remember thinking to myself “what have I got myself into?”
My first day of trade was Monday 28 September 1997. I recall feeling really excited about starting this new chapter in my life and being ready to get stuck into it. I think I knew even back then that this was going to be a long-term proposition for me and I was thinking ahead to where I wanted to be and what improvements I could make. Funnily enough I’m still the same way now and always looking at ways to develop the business. I remember opening on the first day – I was there with my Mum, Dad and another staff member. I was keen to see how my first big change would go down…I had taken away the old Haros Boiler and instant coffee and put in a two group espresso coffee machine for some real Italian coffee. Introducing real Italian coffee was a big move but I figured if nothing else, at least I could make myself a good coffee while I waited for the customers. I didn’t have to wait long. The customers started coming straight away. I had also introduced some Italian cuisine to the menu and these proved popular. I remember the previous owners coming in on the first day to help guide me through lunch service and saying they had never seen the Café so busy in the entire time they had owned it. The small changes were working but I didn’t want to change too much too quickly. It was this calculated approach to developing the Café that I think helped get me to where I am today. • Looking at the business in 2017, is it what you hoped it would be? Yes it is. I’m always looking at what improvements I can make and how I can develop the business and keep it fresh and competitive but I’m happy with where I am now. In particular, the new urban look on the waterfront and my outdoor dining space. For years I wanted to expand my outdoor dining and offer customers more options with alfresco meals so it was great to finally do that at the end of last year and develop it more this year. I’m also about to introduce another side to the business where I will be selling local Tasmanian made products such as honey, fudges, relishes, jams amongst other things. • How important is local produce to the success of your business and do you find it easy to access? We’re so lucky in Tasmania to have to the best produce in the country right on our doorstep. The quality of our produce is great when designing menus and specials. I think it’s also important as we’re located on the waterfront and in a busy tourist area so we’re not only responsible to our local trade but also we have an opportunity to showcase this great produce to visitors to the State. I think it’s great also that we have so many clever small food suppliers that have created some great Tasmanian food products and I have plans to showcase these in the Café and help spread the vision of these businesses.
August 2017 www.australianhotels.asn.au
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