‘Committed, vivacious’: Beloved Sydney restaurateur Wolfie Pizem remembered
A beloved Sydney restaurateur who died over the weekend is being remembered by colleagues in the culinary world as “incredibly generous, supportive and smart” and a pillar of the Jewish community.
NSW
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A beloved Sydney restaurateur who died at the weekend is being remembered by colleagues in the culinary world as “incredibly generous, supportive and smart” and a pillar of the Jewish community.
Wolf “Wolfie” Pizem — the mastermind behind local establishments the Coachman in Redfern, Wolfie’s, The Waterfront and Italian Village, died on Sunday at the age of 96.
The Good Food Guide’s Vittoria Coffee “Legend” award recipient in 2004 — Pizem, worked alongside star Australian chef Neil Perry to create his Rockpool restaurant in the 1980s.
“He was a fabulous restaurant and one of the original real restaurateurs of the sixties, seventies and eighties,” Perry told The Daily Telegraph.
“The Coachman was everybody’s favourite place to go and have dinner back in the day.
“If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have had Rockpool.”
Perry described Pizem as an iconic businessman who was “very supportive and a generous spirit.”
“He was always really supportive, incredibly generous and smart,” the Margaret restaurant owner said.
“He was really about my success and he had so much enthusiasm for how successful I was becoming.”
Perry also described Pizem as a “a pillar of the Jewish community” as a lifelong member and former president Newtown Synagogue.
Pizem grew up attending the synagogue in Sydney’s inner-west, celebrated his bar mitzvah there at 13 years old, and led efforts to rebuild and revitalise the synagogue for the next generation.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry deputy president Robert Goot said “Wolfie was one of the great personalities of the Sydney Jewish community.”
“He was committed, vivacious, philanthropic, and had a particularly strong association with the Newtown Synagogue which he pushed to rebuild with great dedication and tenacity,” Mr Goot said.
“That was a synagogue in which his father and his family had been involved for many decades.
“Wolfie was wonderful company, had a great sense of humour and will be sorely missed.”
Pizem will be remembered by wife Karen and children Bianca and Darius.
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