Charismatic ‘Cook’ from Mildura

Stefano De Pieri is the passionate and charismatic ‘Cook’ from Mildura. He is passionate about his family, his food, his life, his town and his river. With passion, he has built his restaurant into one of Australia’s greatest success stories.

Stefano shares how he created a restaurant in a far away county town– from a dingy cellar basement and transformed it in to the best regional restaurant in Victoria and serving customers who come from Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and around the world. His restaurant and series of other concerns employ 60 staff. Stefano’s business success emulates his life experience of coming from Italy with his brother in 1974 and a suitcase, through to becoming one of the most well known cooks in Australia.

Stefano’s Restaurant has become the gastronomic epicentre of Australia, and winner of many awards including the prestigious the Age Good Food Guide restaurant of the year award.

His fame has expanded Australia wide with the successful ABC TV series “A Gondola on the Murray” where he charmingly discusses his favourite subject of hearty dishes made of offal. He has written two cook books associated with the TV series, which sold over 40,000 copies.

Stefano is a self confessed failure in some of the endeavours he attempted earlier, including not entering the Victorian Parliament and a community restaurant. He has always sprung from his failures more determined to succeed and is now a magnet for Mildura. Stefano De Pieri is one of a kind, and all Australians who own a business owe it to themselves to get a dose of his insights.

“My business success relies on the motto of never worrying about dollars, but thinking about the bottom line.”

Stefano’s Philosophies

• Food is the business of hope, passion and celebration
• Have good content rather than fancy packaging
• There is no age to learning
• Improvise, experiment and take chances
• Food and politics are inextricable
• Everybody can have a little gondola in their hearts.

Stefano preaches a constant philosophy on quality of product and service. Stefano fondly remembers his father’s Venetian dictum “You have to offer your client whole of yourself, body and soul”. He believes if staff are to perform, they must be a part of this culture.

Stefano presents in a passionate, witty and natural way and hence makes a real impact on the audience.

Presentation Topics Include

• Food is the business of hope, passion and celebration
• Have good content rather than fancy packaging
• There is no age to learning
• Improvise, experiment and take chances
• Food and politics are inextricable
• Everybody can have a little gondola in their hearts.

Testimonials

“De Pieri is a real find..”
Melbourne Herald Sun

“Stefano's country restaurant blows the judges away”
The Age

“Since Stefano’s [Restaurant] opened in 1992 it has won numerous accolades…”
The Australian

“Fresh produce, fine wine and a rich Italian Heritage are the ingredients in the success of Stefano De Pieri”
Qantas The Australian Way Magazine