For Giancarlo and Beverley Caprioli, serving homestyle regional Italian food has always been their passion.
Their restaurant University Café has stood proudly on Melbourne’s Lygon Street for decades, was one of the pioneers for café society in Melbourne.
“Lygon Street actually came about being Italian part of Melbourne in the early 50s when a lot of single men immigrants came from Italy, and there were lots of boarding houses all around the back streets here. And so Lygon started growing up little coffee lounges and coffee bars,” explains Beverley.
“There are so many stories over 40 years, you’d have to write a few books, I think.”
Since the couple bought the business in 1978, University Café has grown from a humble coffee lounge for Italian migrants, into one of the city’s most well-known establishments frequented by academics, university students, celebrities and politicians.
Some of their famous clients include former Prime Minister Paul Keating, businessman Richard Pratt and media tycoons Kerry and James Packer.
Giancarlo and Beverley Caprioli, owners of University Cafe. Source: Supplied
However, the University Café name didn’t always carry such weight, and some were unfamiliar with their style of cooking when the Capriolis first bought the business.
“When we bought the cafe, you can’t sell wine - no licence,” explains Giancarlo.
“We'd have to explain to the police - when they come and do a raid for wine - why we had wine in the kitchen,” says Beverley.
“The police didn’t seem to get it that you use wine in the food that we cook!”
40 years on, locals have become more acquainted with Italian cooking, and it’s the Capriolis’ turn to play catch up with current food trends.
“It used to be just cappuccino, short black, long black - now you want almond coffee, soy coffee, thai latte [sic] with almond…It’s changed a lot,” the Capriolis joke.
University Cafe has a loyal following. Source: Supplied
One thing that hasn’t changed is the restaurant’s recipes, which have been passed down to the next Capriolis set to take over.
Three generations of the Caprioli family now work in this bustling restaurant, with their son in the kitchen and daughter working out front.
With Beverley at 76 years old and Giancarlo at 83 years old, the couple is thinking of slowing down and taking a step back from the business – but not too much.
“If you retire, I believe you get Alzheimer’s. You have to do something,” says Giancarlo.
Beverley says, “Well if you don’t use it you lose, isn’t that what they say?!”
