Our Journey

Coffee and Eugenio came together as a baby. As Italian tradition has it, Eugenio’s father (who was also working in hospitality) wet his forehead as a new born baby and gave the taste of “Espresso” coffee. This is how it is in Italy. Coffee is the fabric of their life and underpins the people’s passion for this cultural norm.

Eugenio began his career where he was born and raised in "Roma" the eternal city in the early 80s as an “Apprendista” Barista – literally meaning ‘tender of the bar’. At a very young age, Eugenio was told to “watch, clean and work hard”. He soon learnt this wasn’t just a job in Italy; it was a profession that had to be treated with rispetto. Eugenio is a fully qualified Barista obtained directly from the "Comune di Roma".

Eugenio worked in some of the most esteemed street cafe bars and 5* Hotels in Rome, mostly around the beautiful “Spanish Steps “,“Trevi Fountain”, "Via Veneto' frequented by international tourists, locals and politicians. In the mean time il Signor Giuseppe “Eugenio’s father”  offered a position as a “commis” ( Apprendista Waiter) and various roles, were he then worked his way up to become “Chef the Rang” (qualified waiter) at the very famous Five star Hotel Regina Baglioni in Via Veneto. Eugenio soon became accustomed to live la “Dolce Vita” but that wasn’t enough. 

Eugenio decided to see the world and travelled to London working in the famed Hampshire Hotel as a Chef de Rang (qualified waiter) and Barista. This is where he met his Australian wife, and followed her here in Melbourne. 
Eugenio’s skills did not go unnoticed in Melbourne’s leading cafés and restaurants, helping various businesses to achieve their full potential, working in various roles from Barista to General Manager.  

Eugenio decided to further improve his English and enrolled at the prestigious William Angliss Institute which he obtained a “Diploma in Hospitality Management ”. Eugenio had the privilege to show off his talent and conducted his first class of Prepare and serve Espresso Coffee at the “Coffee Academy”. The head of the Academy impressed with the results, offered Eugenio a part on their first training DVD for the national training standards featuring on one of the “Coffee Grabs”, Eugenio has continued to work as a consultant and contractor in the hospitality field since then for various institutes or "Hospitality Schools" mainly around Melbourne. Eugenio has various qualifications under his belt including Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Eugenio’s passion for food, wine and coffee culture never stopped, so he decided to travel back to his home town "Rome-Italy" to let his passion take its course, so he signed up for various courses including intensive pizza study, working as "Apprentice Pizzaiolo" revising and mastering the art of "Gastronomia Italiana", thanks to his family that today Eugenio possess a vast collection of original recipes that he likes to share on his latest project "ROMAPE' CIBO DA STRADA".