Parting Sweet Sorrow For Port Cake Makers
Illawarra Mercury
Friday February 20, 2004
AFTER 30 years of running the Illawarra's only continental cake shop, the Tonitto family is calling it a day.
Italian-born Vince and Adalgisa opened their shop, Tonitto Continental Cakes, in Port Kembla in January 1974 and passed it on to the youngest of their five children, Laurence Tonitto, in 1995.
But after growing up with cake-making in his blood and becoming a qualified pastry cook, Mr Tonitto is selling the business, through Conti Business Brokers, to pursue a different trade.
``I'm still going to be self-employed, doing building and renovating and a bit of development work in there," he said.
Mr Tonitto snr completed a pastry cook apprenticeship in Italy before he came to Australia and worked in Sydney for several years.
He and his wife opened the Port Kembla store, making Italian and European cakes and biscuits.
The Italian community, used to continental cakes, immediately took to the store but it was a few months before Australians accepted the different style, which uses liqueurs for flavour and texture.
``We specialise in continental cakes, we don't just do normal cupcakes and lamingtons," Mr Tonitto jnr said.
``We do the things you don't find in supermarkets. We do find there is a lot of demand for it."
``We deal mainly with the special occasion cakes. It's not every day you can find what we make in a packet mix. We do scratch recipes and put that little finishing touch on that requires a pastry cook's skills."
Mr Tonitto said he had decided to get out of the business while ``the going was good".
``I have a passion for it otherwise I wouldn't have been here in the first place.
``You have got to have a bit of artistic flair ... you have got to come up with new designs and new products all the time.
``Even for kids' birthdays people want more novelty things. Years ago it went from a plain birthday cake with just `Happy Birthday' written on it to cakes shaped as numbers and keys and then new technology allowed us to create edible characters and images."
Tonitto Continental Cakes are distributed throughout the Illawarra and Southern Highlands and as far south as the Victorian border.
SOME OF TONITTO'S BIGGEST CLIENTS OFFER THEIR TRIBUTES
The Fraternity Bowling and Recreation Club (client of more than 20 years): ``It has been wonderful. We have always been very pleased with Tonitto's. They have really looked after us and have been a real institution. It's a real shame they are going. They've been a great supplier," general manager Elio Petrov said.
Shellharbour Workers Club: ``They have always come up with different cakes. E Yesterday I missed their truck and they brought out extra cakes within a couple of hours. They've always offered a 24-hour service line. If I rang at midnight they would have my order here at 8am," catering manager Malcolm Ramsay said.
Collegians: ``I can't even remember how many years we've been getting them, but nothing has ever been a problem.
Their quality has always been first class - so has their service," food and beverage manager Allan Rigby said.
Dapto Leagues: ``It's a shame they're leaving. I've been here nearly 20 years and for the majority of that time we've used Tonitto's as one of our main fresh cake suppliers. Never once have they let us down. They'll come running at the drop of a hat ... i They've been fantastic," head chef Matthew Gooden said.
Portofino International: ``We've found them to be very good. They supply the wedding cakes for our functions. This place has been using them since day one, about 14 or 15 years. Their service is very good and the cakes are excellent," co-owner Joe Sauro said.
© 2004 Illawarra Mercury
