Alimentari
e CucinA
Alimentari - food store or grocer
in English. Cucina - well that’s
easy, kitchen in English, the heart of every home all around the world particularly in Italian homes.
An alimentari in Italy, before the arrival of the big supermarket chains, was the village convenience store where you could find all your daily needs, from fresh meat, cold cuts and cheeses, to your veggies and fresh or dried pasta. When you stepped inside your local alimentari your were most likely greeted by familiar faces with a big smile.
The shops were located in the main piazza with other family run bars and restaurants, so your daily shopping was most often followed by a caffè, a bite to eat in the sunny square and more than one friend to talk about the latest village events.
Oltre, meaning beyond, is more than just a cafe…
When we created the space in our minds, the idea for Oltre was to bring a little bit of that lost tradition to Melbourne.
We picked a market specifically because we believed markets are the closest thing to that piazza in that Italian village. And so Oltre Alimentari e Cucina was born.
Oltre, meaning beyond, is more than just a cafe. It’s a place where you can stop for coffee, gather with friends over a glass of wine and a flavourful meal, and take home a selection of authentic Italian food.
meet samir
Having grown up in the kitchens of my father’s many restaurants from Lugano to St Moritz, my excitement for food began.
Left for Australia in November 2012 with little money in my pocket, precisely $1730, with a mission to learn English and survive all the dangers down under.
As I left the comfort and fresh air of the Swiss Italian region, I’ll never forget the faces of my friends wishing me well as they made the sign of the cross and said I’d most likely be eaten by a Salt Water Crocodile or deadly snake.
After spending 6 months picking apples in the Granite Belt region aka the middle of nowhere, I decided to travel up the East Coast before basing myself in beautiful Palm Cove, working at some of their high end beach front venues.
1 year later, I was drawn to Melbourne and discovered its vibrant food scene and decided to settle in.
For the following 7 years I was part of the opening of 7 different venues in 3 different cuisines. In 2018, I left a position with Masterchef winner Diana Chan to go on a world tour with a clear mission to find what makes a restaurant great. Came back after 10 weeks, 20 cities and 12 countries. Did I find the answer? No. But it was awesome.
Skip forward 3 years, including 2 Covid years and 6 lockdowns, I joined forces with my good friend Salvatore Ciano. We began to design Oltre in our minds, and here we are!
meet salvatore
In 2012, at the young age of 21, I decided to leave my hometown Itri to move to Melbourne in search of new opportunities.
Little did I know that this decision is going to change my life forever. With no experience, and very little English I struggled to find a job.
Just when I was about to give up, I got a job offer as dishwasher at the newest restaurant on Chapel street called Fonda Mexican.
Fast forward a few years later and I was managing a 170 seater restaurant in the CBD, while winning several awards within the Fonda group such as “Best emerging leader” and “Leader of the year”.
After stepping in as Area Leader and helping the company navigating through all the difficult challenges that the hospitality sector had to face due Covid, I decided that it’s time to put everything I had learned in action.
Combining that with a friendship and the shared love for Italy and Oltre was born.
The rest is history!