Beppi: A Life in Three Courses

This illustrated memoir follows the story of iconic Sydney restauranteur Beppi Polese. Born in 1925 in a farming village in northern Italy, where food and eating were a matter of daily subsistence, Beppi began his training in silver service dining in Milan. His career was interrupted by World War II and his imprisonment in an Austrian labour camp, from which he escaped to join the partisans in the mountainous Friuli region. In 1952, after working in the great hotels of Florence and Venice, Beppi emigrated to Australia, bringing a rich European heritage of food service to his new home. From his eponymous restaurant, established in 1956, he introduced Sydneysiders to the ingredients and flavours of Italy, helping to change the way Australians ate. "Beppi's" also features 50 narrative style recipes, ranging from his mother's method of making polenta to the signature dishes of the 1950s and 60s.