As a result, the school community harnessed its creativity and ingenuity to find a solution to the problem at hand: a cookbook entitled Love, Lee Street.
The heart-warming book was conceived, designed, published and sold by the school community.
Catherine Doggett, one of the brains behind the project, said the initial idea was to simply sell copies of the book to students and their families.
“But as word of the idea spread, we soon realised that with the skills and resources we had available within the community, we could create a book to be sold even in bookstores,” she added.
Produced over five months, the book features more than 130 recipes from local families as well community restaurants, bars and cafes.
The recipes are divided into five sections: breakfast, pasta and pizza, dinner, dessert and one dedicated to special occasions.
The photos were taken by a local professional photographer at cost price, while a mother from within the school community who is a florist by trade contributed the floral arrangements.
The book was published with funding from local real estate agencies that had sponsored the annual fete in previous years.
The range of recipes that feature in the book reflects the diverse community of Carlton North.
“The recipes give us an image of those who live in the neighbourhood at the moment; if we had done it 40 years ago, the recipes would probably have been very different,” Doggett said.
“We received recipes from Italian, Middle Eastern, African (particularly Somali) and Asian (especially Japanese) families.”
The recipes were gradually recreated to verify and select the best submissions.
Following the selection phase, a group of parents volunteered to prepare each dish so that it could be photographed; the dishes were then distributed to local families in need.
The book was not only a creative way of raising funds during the pandemic, but it also helped to strengthen the community spirit.
All funds raised will go towards supporting Carlton North Primary, while $1 from every copy sold will also be donated to The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The book is sold directly by the school, as well as three bookstores and several shops and bars in the area.
Giulia, one of the mothers involved in the project, said over 1000 copies of the book have been sold so far.
“It seems to be the best-selling cookbook from the Readings bookshop on Lygon Street,” she added.
“The recipes are all pretty easy, except for mine!
“My family is originally from Modena and our tortellini in brodo couldn’t be missed.
“My nonna would be really proud to know that everyone in Carlton can make the dish following her recipe.”
Giulia’s grandmother, Elena Donnini, migrated to Australia from Italy in 1950 and was a well-known cook in Carlton.
She and her husband Fernando founded Carlton’s University Cafe in 1956, the year that Melbourne hosted the Olympics, and it was there that the Italian athletes went to eat.
In the following years, the couple opened a second restaurant on Lygon Street – Donnini’s – where Elena spent years in the kitchen bringing authentic Italian cuisine to Melburnians.
The personal stories behind the recipes are the most enchanting aspect of Love, Lee Street.
“The children are very proud and it’s nice that the book represents not only our school, but also our community,” Doggett concluded.
