Popular Tasmanian italian food creators Pizzirani’s Cucina are celebrating their win of the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Taste of Summer Festival in Hobart.
The family business, run by Olivia (Liv), her mum, her Nonna and other members of the family, took out the top gong at the festival this year.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Liv said.
“To be able to do it with such an incredible team of people at the best festival yet that we’ve had with The Taste, it means a lot to us.”
The win comes as the business enjoys a surge in popularity, with Liv saying the festival vibe has been “amazing”.
“We’ve thrived this festival and I know that we’re not the only ones, that everybody feels the same,” she said.
The Pizzirani menu features a mix of traditional Italian dishes and modern creations, including a bolognese, umami butter pasta, cacio e pepe and hot halloumi fries.
“We really love to do a bit of that sort of fusion-style food,” Liv said.
“A lot of these recipes have stemmed from Nonna’s heritage and obviously stemmed from her having a restaurant and immigrating from Italy.”
She said they’ve been making a new batch of handmade pasta every 10 to 15 minutes during the Taste, driven by the popularity of their stall.
“It’s something that you don’t see a lot. A lot of restaurants … obviously make a lot of their own pasta, but that’s more behind the scenes.”
“So the theatrical part of it for us is awesome. And to be able to showcase traditional al dente Italian pasta to the people of Tasmania is so cool.”
Liv opened her first restaurant on the North West Coast when she was just 22 and ran it for eight years.
She now travels the state and interstate with her food truck Bambino, catering big events like the Taste of Summer and the Winter Feast
