Going Somewhere with Tony Cavallaro

It’s a rainy Tuesday in the west of Melbourne. Opposite the bustling Footscray Market lies Melbourne's oldest cannoli shop, T. Cavallaro & Sons, where terracotta tiles and Italian pantry goods beckon across the road.

Inside feels like a step back in time. We’re greeted by the smell of rich coffee and fresh cannoli; a handwritten recipe and vintage photographs dot the honey oak walls. The sounds of the Cavallaro family busy at work travels from the kitchen.

Today, we’re chatting with Tony Cavallaro – the youngest son of Tommaso & Sarina, who emigrated from Lipari, Sicily to Melbourne with recipes from his great grandfather.

Once we’re full on ricotta cannoli, warmed by good Italian hospitality, Tony joins us with simply a glass of water in hand to share his story.

Rollie: Your family has been making cannoli for 70 years - you are truly masters in your craft. Tell us a little bit about how it all started.

We’ve been here in Footscray for 70 years, but we go back a lot longer than that. Dad was a pastry chef and his father was a pastry chef - we're talking 120 years ago.

Craftsmanship means everything. It’s the number one. To survive 70 years, you’ve got to be on top of your game. People don’t come back for 70 years unless they’re satisfied with what they get.

It seems like you have a knack for doing things slightly differently. Do you think a mix of following tradition while putting your own spin on things has helped your career?

Our number one seller is our tradition, our history - it's what people come back for. I regard myself as a custodian for this place. For me, that's not a problem because it's easy to do. I wouldn't be here and we wouldn't have a shop if it wasn't for Mum and Dad.

In saying that, the ingredients we get today are not the same ones Dad used to get. It's hard to get the same sort of produce and you've also got to account that taste and situations change - we're more conscious of what we ingest now as a society.

For instance, Dad was frying our cannoli in lard. And believe me, they were way better than what they are now! But if you tell people that you fry in lard, you'd horrify 80% of them.

How do you want people to feel when they come here? What does incredible customer service mean to you?

It’s all about making people feel good. If they feel good when they walk in the shop, I've done my job. And to me, that's what life is all about. It doesn’t cost anything to try and make people feel good.

As a business owner or a business custodian, the best thing I hear - and it happens all the time - is that people associate this place with memories. Memories of coming in with their parents, their grandparents. That means everything to me.

What does Melbourne mean to you?

I love where I was born – where I said my first words and took my first steps, which was basically right here in this shop. We used own & live in the building next door and I would walk to my school down the road. Now, my son Robert lives across where I went to school and he walks down to the shop each day. We’re doing the reverse of what I was doing 65 years ago.

A few years ago, we thought about relocating and my heart just sunk when I started looking elsewhere. I love Footscray.

Where do you and Rosa go when you want to escape? If you’re not in the shop, where are you going?

Back to Italy! But as we know, in June, it's a bit of a nightmare traveling overseas. I was born here, but I've got an affinity with Lipari and Stromboli. Which is where my mum was born and we still have the house that she was born in in the family. It’s the only place that I got to meet one of my grandparents.

We met Rosa’s sister-in-law, along with your sons, Andrew & Robert, who all work with you in the shop. What does family mean to you?

Family is everything. I've been talking about it a lot lately, because a lot of people have clocked on to the fact that we're turning 70.

I was in partnership with my brother and sister-in-law for probably 40 years until they retired 4 years ago. And then we had a choice: do I continue? In the end, I just couldn't retire.

People thought that we were closing down were ringing up crying. I’m here, not only because of the legacy that my father handed down, but also the legacy that I hope that my children will invoke.

It’s not all about handing people cannoli, them paying and walking out – it’s gotta be more than that.

T.Cavallaro & Sons is located at 98 Hopkins St, Footscray and serving delicious cannolis and coffees Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 – 4pm, Saturday from 8 – 3pm and Sunday from 8:30 – 12pm.