Years ago, when he was still at university, he started making sausages in semi-industrial quantities for a restaurant owned by his friend’s father.

This is how I happened to reunite with an old acquaintance, Carlo Sciarpa, whom I had met when he was head chef at Caffè e Cucina in the early ‘90s.

Having arrived in Australia in 1984, Sciarpa has always been a chef.

In Rome, he worked in two renowned restaurants: La Conchiglia and Da Panelli.

Like many, Sciarpa came to Australia for love.

“I met my Italo-Australian wife while she was on holidays in Rome,” he said in an interview with Rete Italia.

“When she returned home, we stayed in touch.

“Then I came to Australia on a three-month visa, which I continued to renew until we got married; first with the Victorian Marriage Registry, to obtain permanent residency, and then a year later with a church ceremony.”

Upon his arrival in Melbourne, Sciarpa began working for his brother-in-law, who had a bar in Fitzroy, then at Players and The Village on Toorak Rd, and at Moretti, where he stayed for a couple of years.

He was then called on by Cesare Tabacco, his brother-in-law, who had opened Caffè e Cucina together with three other partners, including Maurizio Terzini, who had opened Iceberg’s and CicciaBella at Bondi Beach, Sydney.

“Those were the golden years of Caffè e Cucina, when all the stars came to dine there,” Sciarpa said.

“I cooked for everyone except the Pope!

“When the Formula 1 was on, all the Ferrari staff came; when the Australian Open was on, all the champions came; and when there were fashion shows in Melbourne, the models came.

“I cooked for all the actors, singers and bands on tour, including The Rolling Stones and U2.

“I also cooked for the whole cast of Neighbours, including Kylie Minogue, who then came with Michael Hutchence; he often ordered fried calamari and chocolate cake.”

Sciarpa spent 11 years in the kitchen of Caffè e Cucina, before it was sold in 2001.

He then worked at the Kent Hotel, a trendy venue in Rathdown Street where Carlton players regularly dined, for two and a half years.

“After a couple of years, the opportunity arose to take over a bar on Belmore Road, in North Balwyn, and together with my wife and children, we decided to set up our own business, opening Pure Italian, a place with a faithful clientele.”

After around seven years, when Pure Italian had taken off, the Sciarpa family decided to sell and take over another place, in Richmond, where they stayed for a couple of years before selling up to take some time off to reflect.

But, destined for a life in restaurants, Sciarpa has now opened Piccino on Canterbury Road, in Surrey Hills, where he is joined in the kitchen by his daughter, Zegna.

“Piccino is sort of a ‘mini Caffè e Cucina’, with a deli and sandwich section that my wife takes care of, while our son, Riccardo, who until recently took care of the bar section, has now been replaced by a couple of young people who make excellent coffee,” he said.

Sciarpa is rightly proud of his professional achievements, but believes this will be the last restaurant he opens.

“Things are going very well,” he said.

“We have a good following of customers who come from Camberwell, Albert Park, Hawthorn, and beyond.

“During the lockdown period, they supported us by buying take-away dishes and products imported from Italy, such as pasta, flour, tomatoes and pickled vegetables.

Sciarpa has cooked thousands of different dishes over his long career, but Roman cuisine has always held a special place in his heart.

“Bucatini all’amatriciana, spaghetti alla carbonara, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, pasta alla gricia,” he concluded with a sense of nostalgia.

“They are all great dishes made with few ingredients of the best quality.”