The evening, titled Sapori d’Italia in Australia (flavours of Italy in Australia), had a huge turnout – as ALTO events always do.
ALTO members and regular guests have become accustomed to the decadent spread on offer, and this night provided no exception.
Quality pizza, panini and arancini were supplied by Brunetti Classico to accompany the array of aperitivi always a fingertip away, while wine was provided by the ever-supportive Vino Bambino.
Brunetti also treated guests to dessert, with a selection of sweet treats many at the event already know and love.
“It’s really pleasing to see everyone come together,” said ALTO president Adrian D’Aprano when asked about the impressive turnout.
“The event’s been really well received.
“Food is obviously a key pillar of Italian culture, [so seeing] everyone coming together and enjoying the selection of food we have … it’s been a very special evening.”
The sumptuous spread on offer lived up to the high standards to which ALTO members have become accustomed
The three guest speakers on the night were Fabio Angele, one of the owners of Brunetti Classico; Mauro Montalto, the director of Floridia Cheese and Tony Rapone, the marketing and merchandising manager at Bertocchi Smallgoods.
“They’re all prominent in their given fields,” said D’Aprano.
“They’re all leaders; they’ve all started from humble beginnings and built up powerful nationwide businesses that are well recognised.
“We’re intrigued to hear their stories of how they began and how they’ve come to lay their footprint across the country.”
The MC for the evening was ALTO committee member Leticia Ficarra, who took no time getting the guest speakers to open up about their companies.
Rapone, who has been at Bertocchi for 13 years, said the company’s story was a “classic Italian migrant story”.
He referenced the company’s founder, Modesto Bertocchi, who Rapone says came to Australia with “skill and passion … and a really strong business mind”.
“Slowly but surely, he grew his empire and decided to commercialise it.
“[Despite the significant growth,] he kept his edge, and his edge was quality … [and] artisanal excellence.”
Similarly for Montalto and Floridia Cheese, quality is paramount.
“For us, it’s not so much about how much we can process, but what quality we can process,” he explained.
Perhaps one explanation for their quality is the fact that the company has remained loyal to traditional Italian ways of producing cheese.
“They’ve never really changed,” he said of the company’s processes.
“We’ve had to tweak with technology and modify … but in principle it’s all the same.”
Left to right: Tony Rapone from Bertocchi, Mauro Montalto from Floridia Cheese, Fabio Angele from Brunetti Classico and the evening’s MC, Leticia Ficarra
Meanwhile, Angele revealed to the ALTO audience that Brunetti’s secret to success is that they “keep it simple”.
“Basics are the basics,” he explained, “things might have cycles, but they come back in fashion all the time.”
Interestingly, Angele said that the company has a bottom-up approach to exploring new ideas.
“We also get ideas from the pastry chefs we have,” he shared.
“We allow them to have input, so it’s not just an Italian cake shop anymore.
“It’s a lot broader than that.”
There were countless nuggets of gold from the three speakers throughout Ficarra’s interview with them that would have benefitted all the ambitious ALTO members present.
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“We’re a very supportive and inclusive community; everyone’s welcome,” said D’Aprano.
“We would love to expand and encourage the next generation. Whether you’re a university student or just starting your professional career … come and join one of our events.
“You’ll enjoy the evening, make some great connections and hear from some great speakers.”
