“I started to taste coffee at four
years old, which would probably
horrify a lot of people today,” says
Les Schirato. For the Vittoria Coffee
CEO, who’s recently overseen the
brand’s 60th anniversary, coffee has
always been part of his life. Even
the family car smelt of it, a scent that
lingered after his father delivered
beans to clients. Yes, Schirato’s
father worked at Vittoria Coffee, too,
and Les himself began his first proper
stint at the company a week after
finishing school.
He recalls buying “a very flashy
suit” from Sydney menswear store,
Mr John, for his first day at work in
- “Many years later, Mr John
[Hemmes] from the Merivale Group
ended up becoming a close friend
and client of mine. And today, of
course, we deal with his son Justin,”
says Schirato. “It’s funny how life
moves forward.”
It’s been ages since the CEO
has had to unload Vittoria containers
with a forklift – and a lifetime since
he followed his dad on customer
calls. When Schirato started at
Vittoria, he remembers the Australian
coffee scene being the domain of
Italian delis and espresso bars.
“In the early years, they didn’t want
me to sell espresso-style coffee,
they wanted a milder coffee,” he
says. Nevertheless, he persisted
and Australians caught up.
“Nowadays, everyone’s a coffee
expert,” he says. “The more tattoos
and piercings, the more you look like
a pirate, the more you’re supposed
to know about coffee. I’ve been in
the industry for 40 years and I’m
still learning so much. But I don’t
look like a pirate!”
Coffee runs in the family: wife
Luisa was the daughter of one
of the company’s co-founders,
son Rolando is managing director
and eldest grandson William is a
coffee-school grad who makes lattes- despite being eight. “He’s the
youngest barista we’ve got.”
vittoriacoffee.com
A family affair
Australia’s coffee king shares some
(well-caffeinated) memories.Vittoria
Coffee’s CEO
Les Schirato. POLAR EXPRESSA collection of body oils
originally created for the
Chanel spa at the Ritz
Paris is now available for
use at home or in transit.
The oil is available in
four scents: jasmine
(from Chanel’s fields
in Grasse), rose, vanilla
and the Orient, which is
dominated by rose and
frankincense.$350 for
250ml, (02) 9900 2944,
chanel.comBates Smart designed The Fat
Duck and Spice Temple, and its
new Salta Walmer residential
project in Melbourne keeps
diners in mind, too. “The
celebration of food and the
ritual of cooking was central
in designing the apartments,”
says studio director Mark
Healey. Extraction systems
and Bora cooktops are key
features. walmer.com.auThe first southern sortie for the new polar-class
National Geographic Enduranceventures
where few have dared. The aptly named “epic”
itinerary takes in West Antarctica, the Ross Sea
ice shelf and New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic
Islands. Lindblad Expeditions’ 34-day Epic
Antarctica voyage departs Buenos Aires on
27 December, 2020, and 26 January, 2021,
au.expeditions.comNews
GOURMET TRAVELLER 27