Stefano, a true Neapolitan, arrived in Australia in 2014 with a job in interior design, a field in which he was already working in Italy.

After six years, and after some changes in his personal life, he decided to stop travelling locally and internationally. He made the decision to be more present in the lives of his two sons, and to open a restaurant― a long-time dream of his, even back when he lived in Naples.

His first attempt at opening a restaurant in Pascoe Vale, Melbourne, went wrong.

It was in the early days of Covid, and Stefano got cold feet― which ended up costing him a pretty penny in legal fees.

But his second attempt was a success, having purchased Noi Pizzeria, at 60 High Street in Preston:

 “It was truly an adventure, especially if you think that we opened two restaurants, at a time when many others were closing due to the pandemic,” Maffei recounted.

 “I remember that as soon as I arrived in Australia, I was having a hard time finding a real Neapolitan pizza, and someone recommended I try this pizzeria in Preston. While I was eating, I said to myself, 'One day I would like to open a restaurant like this', and six years later, I bought that very restaurant.”

The purchase was complete in no time. One evening, Stefano showed his partner the restaurant, and while surfing the net, he saw it was for sale.  The next day he organised a meeting with the owners, the cheque for the deposit in his pocket.

“I didn't look at any books or accounts, because I was convinced in the great potential of the place,” Stefano continued.

“Our opening day was in July 2021, amid social distancing regulations, and we had an internal capacity of 20 people. Then, on July 7, the longest lockdown ever began, so we started with takeaway, and on the first night made $60. Then, with our marketing manager, we decided to invest in social media, and came up with: Cooking with Noi.”

Stefano Maffei, owner of Noi Pizzeria. (Photo provided)

Stefano had a great time cooking the recipes he had grown up with: Pasta alla puttanesca, alla carbonara, with mussels or clams; and healthy, rustic soups.

“My team would post the ingredients for the recipe on the web, which I would then cook the following week, so that when I logged onto Facebook on Mondays at 5.15pm, people would find me, ready to cook with them."

Needless to say, it was a very successful venture, with tens of thousands of views and, just three months later, a two-hour wait for takeaway pizza on a Friday night.

Finally, the nightmare of the pandemic was over, and restaurants began to reopen their doors to the public. Stefano thus resumed welcoming customers to Noi but, as he explained in the interview, his “hands were itching.”

“A year and a half after Noi, I bought another restaurant in Fitzroy, an area I have always liked,” said the entrepreneur.

“I did the bricklaying and painting work myself, in a way, giving it my own personal touch.”

Work began on the first of January 2022 and, on March 23, the opening of La Vineria took place.

Noi has an industrial feel; a large space with a wood-fire oven and an open kitchen. It serves appetisers, pizzas and pastas, while La Vineria is a more intimate venue, with an extensive menu and an excellent wine cellar which customers can visit, where important wines are kept in perfect microclimate conditions. 

Among the starters, there are delicacies such as baked caciocavallo cheese, served with porcini mushrooms and black truffles, and Neapolitan panzerotti. Among the pastas, there’s orecchiette with turnip tops, sausage and ‘nduja, and linguine with Luciana-style baby octopus. Finally, in terms of the dessert, the Neapolitan babà, with whipped cream and strawberries, is a must.

The wine list is intriguing, divided into sparkling, white, red, rosé and sweet wines, with reserves alongside. In the first part of the list, there are excellent options, both Italian and Australian wines, at very fair prices. In the second, you can find important Italian wines― great vintage at a higher price point.

Social media has also been crucial to the success of La Vineria by Noi:

 “A food critic made a video about the Neapolitan panzerotto, which went viral on TikTok, and now, new customers arrive with the video on their mobile phones saying, ‘I want this’,” Stefano smiled.

After a career in interior design, Maffei found his true vocation as a restaurateur, and were it not for the difficulty of finding qualified staff ― Stefano hired his employees from Italy and is now in the process of sponsoring them ―, he would have opened others:

 “Why? Because I love it!”