Summary

In this lavishly illustrated family memoir Michele Massoni-Dubuc celebrates the life and legacy of her grandfather Rinaldo and father Leon whose contributions to Melbourne's hospitality industry laid the foundations for the city's enduring reputation as Australia's culinary capital. Starting only with a name (Rinaldo) and a city (Lucca) Michele embarked on a journey into her family's past, charting her grandfather's origins, his arrival in Melbourne, marriage into the leading hospitality family of the day and creation of Café Florentino, Australia's oldest and most iconic restaurant and a byword for Italian style and elegance. The tradition continued and was embellished by Rinaldo's son Leon Massoni at the Florentino, several other leading restaurants and through his eponymous wine label. Michele brings these innovative individuals, their times and achievements to life within a context that also evokes Melbourne's evolving love of good food, wine and all things Italian. Now resident in the USA she has enjoyed a rich and rewarding journey of discovery into her Massoni family origins and befriended a group of cousins in Lucca of whose existence she was previously unaware.