Maha chef threatened with deportation allowed to stay

Melbourne restaurant king Shane Delia has helped save his “world class” head chef from being deported after describing him as “pure as snow”.

Melbourne restauranteur Shane Delia. Picture: Wayne Taylor

A Melbourne chef who was saved from deportation said he is grateful to keep living his Australian dream.

“My life in Australia was almost destroyed,” Federico Fioravanzo, the head chef at popular restaurant Maha, said on Thursday. “I have plans, I have friends, I have goals I want to reach in Australia. Some are already accomplished, some I still want do to.”

Immigration authorities threatened Mr Fioravanzo with deportation after he missed a deadline to finalise his work visa.

“It was the most awful news I’ve ever had in my life,” he said. “When they said, ‘Pack your bags and leave,’ they didn’t say where. They just said leave Australia.”

Maha owner Shane Delia raised Mr Fioravanzo’s dilemma with 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell on Thursday.

An hour later, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke intervened in the saga, and said Mr Fioravanzo’s work visa would be “sorted out.”

“I’m a passionate Australian,” Mr Delia told Mitchell. “I believe in the leadership of our government and I try to stick by them. This country was built on the back of hard working migrants who come here and contribute.”

He said Frederico has lived in Australia for five years and paid tax.

“He was waiting for our government to process his visa. To get a letter yesterday that said, ‘You know what mate? Bugger off and go home, we don’t need you’ is absolutely appalling.”

Mr Delia, director of the Delia Group, said his flagship restaurant Maha would not have been able to operate seven days a week without his star chef.

“We can’t open the doors without Frederico. This is going to leave us in a really huge hole. We were just starting to gear up, to get ready for the busier months that are hopefully ahead, and Frederico is crucial to that.

Federico Fioravanza after the decision that he can stay in the country. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“We won’t be able to operate seven days,” he added. “At the moment, we are so stretched. We can’t man a seven-day roster.”

Mr Delia said Mr Fioravanza is “world class ... one of the best chefs I’ve ever encountered.”

“This guy is as pure as snow,” Mr Delia added. “I haven’t seen him curse or smoke a cigarette. He gets up in the morning, goes to the gym, then wants to come to work to contribute.”

Mr Delia said Mr Fioravanza has not been able to work since applying for a visa late last year.

“He’s been living at home, off his savings, we’ve been sending him food to keep him going ... but to get a kick in the guts like this is unbelievable.”

“I had him in my office yesterday in tears. A grown man in tears. But he’s part of our family. What are we supposed to do?”

However, after hearing of Mr Fioravanza’s plight, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said the chef’s work visa would be “sorted”.

Mr Hawke told Mitchell: “Sometimes people get bad advice, or sometimes they don’t get their paperwork in on time. While we go through the pandemic, we’ll get them a good visa and make sure they can stay, keep working, and help us out.”

Mr Fioravanzo, 29, who is from a small Italian village near the Austrian border, said: “I feel amazing, I’m so relieved. It was so heavy on my chest. Shane did an amazing job ... he did everything to help me out and treated me like family. I feel so grateful.”

Of course, he’s desperate to get back into the kitchen.

He said, laughing: “I’ve been cooking at home on two induction stoves. The feeling is not the same.”

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