Cannoli may have originated in Sicily, but no one makes them quite like . This Hopkins Street institution has been making pastries in the Sicilian tradition from its original Footscray pasticceria since 1956. The recipes remain unchanged and are now in the custodian of the second-generation owner and fourth-generation cannoli maker, Tony Cavallaro.
T. Cavallaro & Sons has always been a family affair. It was the second business of the founder, Tommaso Cavallaro, who migrated to Melbourne from the island of Lipari in 1949 to build a new life for his family.
"Dad had a thriving bakery and café in Italy and then World War II happened, and the business was destroyed overnight," Tony says. "He left his parents behind, he left his wife and children behind and he left his belongings; all for a place where the future was uncertain."
Tommaso arrived in Footscray with no home, no friends and next to no English. The young migrant started working in an Australian bakery to establish himself, and to save money so his wife, Sarina, and their four children could join him in Melbourne two years later.
Tony was the only child born in Australia, and shortly after his arrival, he opened T. Cavallaro & Sons. From day one, the pasticceria has sold only two flavours of cannoli. Each pastry shell is handmade and filled to order with vanilla and chocolate patisserie cream or ricotta.
"Our recipes go back 150 years plus," says Tony, whose grandfather and great-grandfather were also pastry chefs. "They were recipes used by people at home and adapted for commercial use. That's probably what makes us more appealing because we're very homestyle baking."
We're very homestyle baking.
In the early days, cannoli made up 20 per cent of T. Cavallaro & Sons' sales, but they now account for over 50 per cent. Other trademarks, including the business' pastine di mandorla and amaretti, are authentically made with almonds, and despite the high cost of this ingredient, the Cavallaro family wouldn't do it any other way.
"Our recipes are very authentic and we won't waver from them because it's a way of honouring my dad, his legacy and his family," Tony says.
He and his brother, Carmelo, have worked behind the counter for much of their lives, along with their aunts, uncles, wives and children. The pair took over the business in 1982 and have provided for the local Italian migrant community and beyond ever since.
"Walking into our place for a lot of people is like bringing back a memory…and it's those warm fuzzy feelings that keep bringing people back," Tony says.
The brothers have a special bond with their Footscray location since it's also the place they were raised. The shop had two frontages with the bakery on one side and their living quarters at the back. It's emotional for Tony to think that they nearly gave up their Hopkins Street home when the Footscray area was experiencing a trough.
It's those warm fuzzy feelings that keep bringing people back.
"All the signs were to relocate and we looked at other premises in the west, but every time I saw something else, my heart sank because we're talking about the place where I took my first steps and where I spoke my first words," Tony says.
Determined to honour Tommaso's legacy, the brothers stuck it out at the original premises and this decision turned out for the best. Melbournians now travel across the city for a taste of the family's hand-filled cannoli, including third-generation customers.
Carmelo retired from the business five months ago, but T. Cavallaro & Sons remains in the safe hands of Tony, his wife, Rosa, and their equally passionate son, Robert.
"It's my business but I'm really a custodian for what mum and dad built up," Tony says. "I just wanted to stabilise and continue what [they] started all those years ago."
Photos courtesy of T. Cavallaro & Sons
Tue-Fri: 8:30am–4pm
Sat: 8am–3pm
Sun: 8:30am–12pm
