Located in Montrose, at the base of Mount Dandenong, La Lupa Romana is a shining example of multiculturalism and diversity.

Business partners Giamal Ghosheh and Linda Williams opened the restaurant in 2012.

Ghosheh was born in Rome to an Italian mother and a Palestinian father, while Williams was born in Sri Lanka and raised in Rome.

The chef, on the other hand, is 25-year-old Yasser Akhtar, who hails from Ancona, on the Adriatic Coast, with parents who migrated to Italy from Mauritius in the 1970s.

As a child, Akhtar dreamed of travelling the world.

It was precisely this wanderlust that drove him to become a chef, or rather, that prompted his mother to advise him to enrol in hospitality school.

“I also had a passion for cooking,” the young talent said in an interview with Rete Italia.

“When my mother was in the kitchen, I’d watch and learn.

“She often cooked Mauritian specialties, but I still remember lasagna Sundays, when I woke up and the whole house smelled of ragù.”

Akhtar said he learned most of his skills while on the job.

“At school, we boys were more interested in girls than in learning how to make quenelles or Béarnaise sauce,” he laughed.

“The real school was the kitchens where I worked, in Italy and around the world.”

Akhtar began his career travelling and working in Italy, doing seasons and traineeships around the country, but his passion for travel saw him move to France, then England for a year and, finally, New Zealand.

Having arrived in Australia just over a year ago on a working holiday visa, he landed a job at La Lupa Romana, a Roman restaurant located a stone’s throw from the famed Yarra Valley.

“COVID-19 has changed my life, as it has done for many,” he said.

“After I did the 88 days of farm work to renew my working holiday visa, Giamal offered me a sponsorship, so I’m staying here for now.

“But I’m only 25 years old and I hope to be able to travel more in the future.”

Ever since opening La Lupa Romana nine years ago, co-owner Ghosheh has been the resident pizzaiolo.

“Once upon a time customers came mainly for the pizza, but since Yasser has been in the kitchen they also come a lot for his dishes,” Ghosheh said.

The menu hones in on the freshness and quality of the ingredients, many of which are imported from Italy.

It features Roman dishes, such as la carbonara, l’amatriciana and saltimbocca, while the specials menu often offers other specialties, such as la coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew) and la coratella (the innards of lamb, rabbit or poultry).

“Since we reopened after the hard lockdown, I’ve been putting up three special dishes every night, some of which are doing very well, such as the homemade and hand-cut pappardelle, served with spring onion oil, tomato sauce and dehydrated ‘Nduja,” Akhtar said.

“The ‘Nduja is served on top of the nest of pasta and melts with the heat.”

It would be worth the trip to Montrose just to try this dish, but there are also many other specialties on offer, such as duck breast with black grapes.

Then there are the mouthwatering desserts: Ghosheh takes care of the sweet pizzas and calzoni, while Akhtar specialises in pastries, such as cakes and cannoli.

The highlight of the entire menu for me is a dish that immediately takes me back to my childhood: focaccia with provola and mortadella.

I would travel to La Lupa Romana by foot just for a bite.

If we weren’t in lockdown, I would have already left.