+39 Pizzeria Toorak
Domenico Papa never imagined working in the hospitality industry full-time. He has a master’s in business administration and only worked in Italy’s hospitality scene to pay off university expenses.
The first time he visited Australia was in 2014, where he travelled and worked 13 different jobs in that first year. Later, he began working at +39 Pizzeria in the city. In March 2016, he +39 Toorak opened, and he jumped ship.
“And since that moment I’ve always been here,” Papa says.
“We quickly discovered there is a difference in demographic compared to the city.” Toorak is residential, there are lots of families and the team have had to adjust to accommodate dietary, cultural and religious requirements.
“But in saying that we are not a fine diner, the name outside makes this very clear,” he explains. “Our core is the pizza – we serve carbs – that’s what we are, and we pay respect to the Italian traditions but with a modern and younger twist.”