Born in 1955 in Rizziconi, in the province of Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy, to parents Agostino and Guilia, Tony attended school for one year before the family was encouraged to emigrate to Australia where they were promised a better life. In 1961, with little or no English, the couple and their young son arrived in Melbourne and were excitedly met by family members, who were their sponsors, and went to live with them in Brunswick for a short time.
With family connections in Cobram and needing work to provide for his family, Agostino moved the family to the northern Victorian town, where he was offered a job picking fruit on local orchards. The work was similar but on a larger scale to back home in Rizziconi where citrus fruits, olives and wine grapes were grown. The soil there, too, was fertile and offered a mild climate, like Rizziconi’s.
Interesting to note also that in Rizziconi, the district held many festivals throughout the year, with the most popular event being the Feast of Saint Joseph. It seems Cobram was to offer much the same as in Italy, with St Joseph’s Church and school community a focal point of the Catholic faith here in town.
Over time, the Startari family settled in well. Two further children were born, Rocky and Teresa, who attended the St Joseph’s school with their older sibling, Tony. St Joseph’s only went to Year 10, so Tony attended Cobram High School for an additional year.
Then it became time for Tony to put on his big-boy boots and find employment. His dad was ill, and the family needed financial support, so he gained an apprenticeship as a panel beater in Cobram. He worked hard and learnt a lot, but several months after completing his qualifications decided it wasn’t really what he wanted and headed to Melbourne.
Very quickly Tony was offered a job with Toyota as a trainee manager in Port Melbourne, where he trained on the job and attended night school.
“I received very good pay and enjoyed the work and the company of my workmates, but I missed the country,” Tony said.
Tony worked in Melbourne for two and a half years, as did his girlfriend, Dianne Foster, who had also moved to Melbourne for work and lived nearby. In 1978, the couple returned to Cobram where they signed off on their first business venture, a café, just one week before their marriage.
They enjoyed the experience and learnt from it. After two years, it was sold, as the couple could see a need for a haberdashery and clothing store in the town but unfortunately due to the recession in 1982-83 that affected the whole of Australia and much of the world, they were forced to close the haberdashery. Finances were tight and people did not have money to buy extras.
Yet food was a necessary item and, seeing a good business come on the market in Yarrawonga, they purchased a profitable café takeaway, which did very well. However, running a seven-days-a-week business and with two young children to look after, it became very difficult, resulting in them putting it up for sale. The couple took some months off while looking for a new opportunity.
Having done financially well with the café enabled the couple to buy a dry-cleaning business in town. They proceeded to set up a commercial laundry, which they believed was needed in the district, later moving the business into a building previously owned by local furniture retailer Mort Douglas. After 17 extremely successful years running the business, Gouge Dry Cleaners bought them out for a generous price.
At this stage, Tony and Dianne had three sons, Michael, Christopher and Mark, with the two younger ones — Christopher and Mark — still at school and Michael at university in Melbourne. Michael was not happy living in the city and decided to come home. This was perhaps the impetus for his mum and dad to buy Fasta Pasta from Joe Ventre and put Michael to work with them in the business. The year was 2002.
Since the day they took over, Tony and Dianne have not looked back. Presto Pasta and Pizza occupies three shops where you can dine in and select from a well-constructed menu, organise a function or party and drop by to collect a delicious takeaway pizza.
From the moment you step inside Presto, it is much like being in a family restaurant in any small town in Italy: you are welcomed with a smile! The Startaris are hospitality focused, possessing a willingness to look after the needs of every customer with a genuine smile and provide value for money — something of a rarity today!
It has been — and continues to be after more than 20 years — a ‘go-to’ venue for children’s birthday parties, end-of-season breakups for sports teams, dinner meetings held by various organisations and family groups and friends seeking a good night out!
When you operate a business seven days a week, there is the need for a regular ‘break away’. Tony and Dianne have taken time off to travel, often back to Italy to visit with family, yet love it when they return to Australia — their home.
On one occasion, Dianne, who loves travel, was in China with Tony and one of his friends when she beat the pair to the top of the Great Wall. Taking the crown away from the blokes was a great achievement!
Tony has been directly and indirectly involved in hospitality for much of his working life.
“It is rewarding,” he said.
“You meet some great people and employ great staff. I could write a book about different instances over the years. In fact, I already have a title in mind,” said Tony, with a laugh.
Today, younger sons Christopher and Mark are both electricians and work evenings in the business and at weekends, while older brother Michael owns and operates two hugely successful restaurants: one Presto Pasta and Pizza in Peregian Springs and another in Mount Coolum on the Sunshine Coast.
The Startari family are well respected and recognised in the Cobram community. After 22 years in the restaurant business, they have earned their stripes as hospitality professionals in a town that has been good to them — and which they love and are extremely proud of!
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