Luongo will visit both Rome and Naples on his quest to convince young Italians to come and work at Penny Young in Australia.
“One of the major problems facing us – and other restaurants – at the moment is the staff shortage,” Luongo said in an interview with Rete Italia.
Luongo has been working in kitchens since he was 14 years old and left Italy when he was 18.
He began to cook at Italian restaurants all over the world.
“I went to England first; then France, Germany, Spain, the Bahamas, Florida, California, Mexico, and Brazil for the World Cup,” he said.
In August 2014, Maurizio joined his brother in Melbourne, who was here on a Working Holiday visa.
“My brother and I always worked together abroad, but we split up when I went to the United States and he came to Australia,” Luongo explained.
“He insisted that I had to come and see this beautiful place.
“Once I saw what he was talking about, I couldn’t fathom leaving.”
Luongo was sponsored by Anthony Bongiovanni, the owner of both Penny Young and Soho Restaurant and Bar in Southbank, and was soon granted a permanent visa.
“Penny Young’s premises have had several identities over the years,” Luongo said.
“It started out as a liquor store, before the previous owners took over the brewery next door in 2018.
“They created a nice space, with indoor and outdoor tables under a retractable roof.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the old owners sold to Bongiovanni and the first thing we did was build an industrial kitchen.
“We opened to the public in October last year with a fairly uncomplicated menu consisting of simple dishes prepared with love.
“Think beef fillet carpaccio, fried eggplants, grilled prawns and arancini with porcini mushrooms served with a truffled parmesan cream.
“We also have some pastas on the menu, including squid ink linguine served with a crab bisque, rigatoni with sausage ragu – which we buy from Nino’s and Joe’s Meats in Brunswick -, gnocchi alla sorrentina, baked in a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella.
“For the mains, we serve steak, chicken, lamb stew with potatoes – like my mother used to make at Easter - , barramundi with crispy skin and seasonal vegetables.”
Penny Young also serves pizzas, on both red and white bases, cooked in what Bongiovanni described as the “Rolls-Royce of pizza ovens”, created by Marra Forni.
The restaurant itself is decorated in an eclectic style, full of antique furniture purchased from one of the oldest houses in Melbourne: Wentworth House.
“We have 16 different beers on tap: eight that remain the same, and eight that change every six months,” Luongo continued.
“We also have a carefully considered wine list with wines from all over the world, including Australian wines that I like and use in dishes like my lamb ragu.”
Luongo, who often runs the kitchen by himself, maintains that the menu will be expanded once the restaurant hires more chefs and waitstaff.
In the meantime, he films live videos of his work in the kitchen and shares them on Twitch, an interactive livestreaming platform.
“I have a lot of people ask me about opportunities in Australia, the Working Holiday visas, and the bureaucracy that comes with it, on social media,” Luongo said.
“I hope to answer their questions during my trip to Italy.”
Though the two countries differ in many ways, the Italian chef has nothing but praise for Australia’s produce.
Luongo thinks that the Wagyu bresaola is superior to its Italian counterpart, and that the proteins – such as the fish and various meats on offer – are of excellent quality.
He does, however, find the vegetables a little less tasty than the European ones, with less smell.
Out of everything, Luongo says that it is the Australian clientele that has surprised him the most.
“Australia is the most educated country I’ve ever visited, when it comes to Italian cuisine,” he explained.
“I’ve never had to adapt my cooking for the Australian palate; I’ve always cooked as if I were in Italy and I’ve never had any issues with the products.”
