Credit: This article was copied from Inner City News: https://www.innercitynews.com.au/la-spaghettata-the-first-pasta-house-in-australia Sicilian husband and wife Tony and Giovanna Cattafi arrived in Melbourne in 1965 with only their suitcases and no English. Like many Europeans who journeyed to Australia in the ‘60s, they worked hard from the moment they arrived, building a new life in West Footscray. In 1981 they purchased La Spaghettata on Lygon St, Carlton, an authentic Italian restaurant claimed to be the first pasta house in Australia. “Toto’s was the first pizza house, and we were the first pasta house,” second son Fabio said. Over the years, the family table expanded with the addition of four children, all of whom spent time helping in the business. At 13 years of age, Fabio remembers buttering the garlic bread, washing dishes and sweeping the floor. Cousins, brothers, and aunties all did shifts in the restaurant when they needed money back in the day to pay for university or build a house. “My dad set up a lot of people by giving them work,” Fabio said. He recalls his and his siblings’ childhood memories filled with the aromas of family meals and the stories shared around Giovanna and Tony’s table. La Spaghettata was and still is on Lygon St, Carlton. Fabio said they loved being a part of it and the annual Lygon Street Festa. Eldest son Mauro worked with his dad for 20 years. When Fabio joined him, “we carried on the legacy, updating and adding modern marketing systems such as social media, but still retaining the authentic and traditional ambience.” Fabio said that when you dined at La Spaghettata, you became part of the family and its story. Mauro and Fabio have helped build the business and the clientele after trading for 40 years. Some of their regular customers are now bringing grandchildren into La Spaghettata. Fabio mentions Terry and Shirley, who come every second Sunday like clockwork. “We love them; they are a big part of our family now. I spoke to Terry last week just to keep in touch,” he said. Another couple, Helen and Peter, have dined with them since the ‘80s. When asked what their recipe for longevity was, Fabio replied, “it is our consistency of great food and the connection and relationships we have formed with our customers.” “We’ve seen so many changes, but we still have diners who keep coming back to us for our fresh Italian food and the hugs, kisses and familiarity as they pull up a chair in our authentic rustic farmhouse building.” •

We asked our restaurant manager Fabio to tell us about his five favourite traditional Italian dishes from the La Spaghettata menu, and why you’ll look forward to eating them the next time you visit. Spaghetti Marinara: a celebration of seafood (pictured above) 1. Spaghetti Marinara This is my favourite dish of all time. Our Spaghetti Marinana is crowned with generous servings of fresh mussels, vongole, prawns and scampi. What brings it all together is La Spaghettata’s famous Napoli sauce and fresh spaghetti. These staples from our kitchen are both made from scratch, laced with the aroma of sun-ripened tomato and fresh basil.   Tagliatelle ‘La Spaghettata’: bacon makes everything better 2. Tagliatelle ‘La Spaghettata’ You really can’t go wrong with our fresh home-made Napoli sauce and pasta. Toothsome ribbons of joy, with added richness from some fresh ricotta cheese, smoked bacon, cracked black pepper, and a hint of chilli, just to make things interesting!   Fritto Misto: fresh flavours of the sea 3. Fritto Misto Our seafood is our pride. Here, we serve it as a modest mountain of your choice of fried scallops, prawns or calamari, all crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. One bite and the freshness takes you to quiet weekends fishing off the coast of Sicily. Fillet Gordon: decadent, hearty goodness 4. Fillet Gordon Sometimes you just need a perfectly seared grass-fed eye fillet steak, married with a Cognac XO demi-glace sauce, and a party of just-ripe avocado, fresh prawns, and umami-packed mushrooms.   Tiramisù: the perfect way to end a meal 5. Tiramisù Our 45-year-old tiramisù recipe is so good, we’ve never had to change it! We do it the proper way, using savoirdi biscuits heavy with Strega liquer, nested in layers of fresh, sweet mascarpone.   Hungry for more authentic Italian food? Check out our a la carte menu and set menus for more La Spaghettata goodness.

Our restaurant manager Fabio looks ahead at the future for the Cattafis and La Spaghettata. How La Spaghettata adapted “Like everyone else in the restaurant business who’ve survived the past year, it was tough, and we had to change to adapt. “Our current menu still has our best and most popular dishes, but the pandemic is still a reality, and a possibility. We had to streamline our menu — we took about 20 things off it. The most popular dishes, we kept, because we knew they would sell. But there are some things, like the seafood, that you need to serve fresh, and we didn’t want to have to compromise on quality. “Our success is based on our menu, so it was important to focus our efforts on making sure we still delivered the same, consistent freshness and quality in our dishes, despite change. “Sadly, we had to reduce our staff numbers. Even when our kitchen staff and servers couldn’t be with us at the restaurant, we made sure we called each of them to check in and see how they were. We wanted to reassure them and give them something to look forward to at the end of lockdown. We told them that when things were safer again, we’ll have them back on deck, as part of the family.”   The things that will stay the same “Family and connection will always be our strengths. And like we always say, our customers are part of the La Spaghettata family. We used our social media to keep our customers updated, and posted funny and inspiring things we connected with, to boost their spirits too. “As for our family, the Cattafis, we are stronger than ever. I admit that we all enjoyed the three-month break in 2020! But it showed how resilient, strong and tenacious we are as a family. We didn’t back down, and we kept each other afloat, and we prepared for our return.”   The years ahead “I think for the next few years, we’ll keep nurturing what we have here. We might make a few adjustments here and there, you know, renovations and interior improvements, to maintain the authentic feel. “We will still remain as a family-run restaurant but we’re now more conscious of how important time for ourselves and family is outside of the restaurant. We’re going to try and live more balanced lives while continuing to share the joy of running the restaurant. “With more time for ourselves, we will have even more energy to put back into La Spaghettata. This will ensure we can continue serving up our authentic Italian hospitality, and our traditional Italian dishes, like spaghetti marinara and tiramisu, for years to come.”   Come visit La Spaghettata on Lygon Street It’s so good to see Lygon Street busy again, and we’d love you to come join us and see for yourselves! Have a look at our a la carte and set menus, book a table, and bring a hearty appetite for authentic Italian food.

Did you know that our restaurant manager, Fabio, is also a professional dancer? Let’s take a look behind the scenes of his life’s two passions and find out what they have in common.   Fabio’s dance background “I’ve always loved dance! And I’ve always loved to perform for an audience. I remember dancing around the house with and singing into a mop for my family in the evenings. And like the food we serve at La Spaghettata, I guess that’s where it all started.   “I decided to study dance at the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 90s. Back then, my Mum and Dad were still running the restaurant and taking care of us kids at the same time. “I didn’t know this then, but all my stage training was going to come in handy for restaurant management.”   Restaurant floor versus dance floor “Mauro and I started running La Spaghettata together in 2004, to give our parents a break. By then, I’d been dancing and touring for decades. They seem like two very different careers, but they’re really all about performance.”   The audience in the dining room “In the restaurant, our customers are our audience. They come wanting the same thing: quality, consistency. To feel welcome and to have their senses entertained. “Ultimately, we want our diners to leave feeling the same way you would after an excellent show: satisfied, feeling good, but also wanting more.”   Restaurant manager as ringmaster “Honestly, sometimes it can all get a bit chaotic, but it’s my job to keep everything in line and on schedule. Like a stage manager, or a circus ringmaster. “And as the leader of my staff and the face of La Spaghettata, I have to make sure I look calm well-presented, and set an example for everyone. “Even if my energy is flagging, I make sure I take a quick break backstage, have a glass of water, and return to the floor with a smile and uplifting energy!”   Rehearsals and preparation “We plan carefully to make sure we’re ready for our performance, or restaurant service, each night. “The kitchen is stocked, our staff have memorised the specials, and the tableware is sparkling. Everyone’s uniforms are clean and pressed. We even make sure the music and the lighting are right. “That’s just the daily show. No one sees the months and years of training and experience we and our staff have had in hospitality to bring them the dining experience they enjoy. “But that is our goal, isn’t it? They should have so much fun that they don’t even have to think about the effort behind the performance. That effort is our job, not theirs.”   It’s about the customer “You may not know every story, but you’ve probably played a part in someone’s life story. Their first date night. Their family celebration. Their first Italian meal. Their first time in Melbourne. “Both the restaurant business and performance take a lot of energy. There’s nothing like going home, feeling exhausted, and with your feet hurting, but knowing that for a night, or even for an hour or so, you made someone happy. “We know about some of these stories, because they become our regulars, and come back every year to celebrate their happy memories with us again and again. “And it’s stories like these that remind us why we do what we do – for family and connection.”   Come visit La Spaghettata It’s so good to see Lygon Street busy again, and we’d love you to come join us, and be part of our La Spaghettata family! Have a look at our a la carte and set menus, book a table, and bring a hearty appetite for authentic Italian food.

When you dine at our traditional Italian Lygon Street restaurant, La Spaghettata, you become part of our family, and our story. The Cattafi's at home at the dinner table   Welcome to the family Our authentic Italian restaurant first opened in 1981, but our story starts in 1965, when our parents, our La Spaghettata founders Tony and Giovanni Cattafi, arrived in Australia, from Sicily, Italy. Our parents grew up poor on farms, and they remember watching all the rich folk having their late dinners out on the town. This made them even more determined to work their way out of poverty, even if it meant leaving home. So, with only their suitcases, and no English, they worked hard from the moment they arrived, and built their new life from scratch, in West Footscray. Along the way, the family table grew to include four children, and (spoiler alert!) two of us, Fabio and Mauro, now run the restaurant on Lygon St, Carlton. Our childhood memories are filled with the aromas of family meals, and the stories shared over Mama’s hearty Italian food. And as we slurped up every drop of Napoli sauce, our parents began planning to bring these cherished Italian flavours and experiences from our home, to the rest of Melbourne. The Cattafis at home, celebrating Mauro’s birthday   Dreams of Messina Our parents missed home in Messina, Sicily. And they told us so, frequently! Not just the food and fresh Italian ingredients. Mum and Dad also missed our families and connecting with them through cooking and eating. And with us kids in mind, they wanted to leave a legacy, and pass their heritage on to future generations. The best way, they reckoned, was the personal way. With a restaurant, they could create a new place for our community — and other communities too — to gather, have a sense of family, and share knowledge and culture. All with the warm embrace of the authentic Italian hospitality we were so lucky to grow up with. The Cattafi family and friends at the restaurant   La Spaghettata opens its doors With all burners on, their plan finally came to life, as we welcomed our first customers in 1981, a little after Australia’s 1970s restaurant boom. Aussies were getting used to the idea of café and restaurant culture, so our parents knew it was time to get into the business. La Spaghettata was, and still is, on Lygon Street, Carlton, and we’re proud to be a part of its history. It’s still known as Melbourne’s central Italian district, and we love being a part of it and the annual Lygon Street Festa (now known as the Melbourne Italian Festa).   The restaurant today While we’re among the oldest restaurants in Melbourne, we’re one of the last few family-run Italian eateries left on Lygon Street, and we’re proud to say we were the first to start making pasta from scratch, on site. You won’t find pre-made pasta in our kitchen. And just like yesterday, and the days before that, we still combine our cozy, family atmosphere with traditional dishes Mama made, like bruschetta, pescatora and spaghetti marinara (our seafood is second to none). It’s Italian cuisine at its true best!   Our loyal customers We’ve seen so many changes, but we still have diners who keep coming back to us for our fresh Italian food, and the hugs, kisses and familiarity as they pull up a chair in our authentic rustic farmhouse building. We’ve seen the likes of Andrew Bocelli, Valentino Rossi and Kenny Rogers, but our customers are the real stars. We’re always here for you, the families and the lovers, our friends old and new, the busy and those of leisure, ready for a glass of wine (or two) and good Italian food. Come share a meal with us and be part of a unique Italian dining experience that you can call your own. We’ll see you soon!   Dine at La Spaghettata Book a table at La Spaghettata La Spaghettata’s A La Carte menu Fabio’s top 5 Italian dishes (and why you love them). Follow La Spaghettata on Facebook for more news and photos.  

All the highlights from this years Lygon St Festival. Celebrating everything Italian.  

It's time to Rosé the day away because Summer is here! Enjoy everything Italian this summer at La Spaghettata From delicious food, Italian wines and fun enterainent. Book your Christmas with La Spaghettata. it will be a day not to missed with everything Italian.