OUR BRAND STORY Like so many Melbournians, we are the daughters of Italian and Greek immigrant parents, coming from a family of “contadini” (farmers) who lived and worked off the land. During our childhoods there was never a great deal of money, but being constantly surrounded by family, love and LOTS of food made up for that. Even when our parents were struggling most, our family table was always filled with love and food, and for that, we are so grateful. The inspiration for Ms Frankie comes from the Italian side of our partnership, heavily based on Melinda’s experiences and heritage. Melinda’s parents migrated from Calabria in the South of Italy in 1976. Our very special Mamma Vincenza to this day continues to bake her own bread in the garage of the family country home, a very #WogLife tradition which means that the cooking occurs in the garage, keeping the kitchen always looking nice and clean for any “visiti” (visitors). For us, Vincenza’s garage is more than just a kitchen, it tells a story, with the aroma of whatever is simmering or baking away that particular day transporting our senses to memories of our youth or special family memories. From the weekly aroma of the traditional Sunday sugo that has the whole family gathering each week, to the smell of Purpetti (meatballs) frying for brunch (not even joking), to watching the tagliatelle being lovingly hand rolled to accompany the sugo or the comforting scent of Mamma’s famous bread baking in the oven, these visions and smells tell the story of a standard Sunday in the Aloisio household. Our vision for Ms Frankie was to have our own, modern version of Mamma’s Garage, here in Cremorne, where your dining experience is a show for everyone to see. Here you will see our Sfoglina (traditional word for pasta maker) hand rolling our fresh pasta daily, and if you are lucky enough, you may even see the inspiration for this venture Mamma Vincenza in action when she is in town making her famous bread.