Author of books such as Sharing Puglia.
Luca Lorusso's Story
Luca Lorusso comes from a large southern Italian family. Luca spent his youth running wild, playing soccer in his hometown of Corato in Puglia, always accompanied by siblings and friends. His house in Corato was on the periphery of the town and backed onto fields abundant with olive trees, tomato plants and fruit trees. Opening his bedroom window brought an array of smells and sights.
Luca’s love of cooking comes from his ‘mamma’ who always cooked and prepared meals for his large family using only basic produce. These meals were legendary and memorable. While she cooked, Luca’s mamma always sang and since then, Luca has associated cooking with music and the simple art of sharing food.
Love took Luca away from Southern Italy to the other end of the world in 1985 and Melbourne became his home. After many years of working in hospitality in Italy, as well as in Australia in 1991 Luca and his partner Carol opened Café Latte in Hawksburn, Melbourne where he has been cooking food inspired by Puglia ever since. Running a restaurant is very different from cooking for family and friends, but the essence is the same: use quality ingredients, simple and effective cooking methods, and lots of love and passion.