How Melbourne remembers Sisto Malaspina after the Bourke St attack
From first dates to family gatherings, everyone has a story to share about the time they visited Melbourne institution Pellegrini’s and how they met Sisto Malaspina. LEAVE YOUR TRIBUTES HERE
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Everyone has a story to share about the time they visited Melbourne institution Pellegrini’s and how they met Sisto Malaspina.
Days after the horrific Bourke St attack, our city and the world is mourning the loss of an icon.
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Tim Smith MP
“Absolutely devastated to learn that Sisto is the victim of this atrocity. I’ve been going to Pellegrini’s for years.”
Bill Pearce (patron)
“Sisto was one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He was so warm and welcoming and always had a story or a joke to tell. He was a Melbourne icon as is Pellegrini’s. The place will never be the same without his welcoming smile.”
Patricia Paolini
“As an Italian immigrant myself, my hearts breaks for this kind man and his family. What a tragedy!”
Deborah Mack
“Every coffee from Pellegrini’s is the best as it is a cup of love and hospitality. Never a customer always a welcome friend. May his family cherish only the good memories.”
Trisha Arblaster
“I immigrated to Melbourne 30 years ago and it was at Pellegrini’s that I had my first ‘Melbourne coffee’. I remember the welcome by this dapper, loquacious man in a cravat, who made it feel like I was home on the other side of the world.”
Bryce Leigh
“You went out of your way to welcome my travelling parents from South Africa in your store, gifting them an Italian coffee brewing set after some great conversation. Melbourne will never be the same without you!”
Gael Ellis
“Sisto Malaspina was an icon of Melbourne. He was always there to celebrate my personal milestones, grabbing pizzas to share on a training night when I was a young apprentice hairdresser at the salon across the road, to sharing the joy of my pregnancies with a meal after pre-natal classes. Melbourne will never be the same.”
Chris Moutzikis
“I have been dining at Pellegrini’s for decades not only because of the amazing pasta dishes, but for the greeting and chat with Sisto. I cannot fathom a Pellegrini’s without Sisto. I cannot fathom a Melbourne without Sisto.”
Chiara Mant
“My boyfriend took me there on my first date and the food was exceptional. Sisto always looked after everyone who came through the door and would talk to them for hours. He was such a lovely man. Heaven has gained a new angel.”
Rosanna Li
“When I was doing my first university degree at Melbourne Uni back in the early 90s, my small group of friends and I used to go to Pellegrini’s and get our spaghetti marinara, granita and a crème caramel, as a kind of weekly ritual. Sisto would be in the background checking on things and we would always say to each other, ‘there’s the owner’ and they would always say ‘bella’ when taking our order.”
Aaron Reichwald
“I am a third generation Pellegrini’s devotee. My grandfather was the one who discovered this masterpiece of a restaurant after he fled the war. Dad and I were inspired to carry on the tradition. Pellegrini’s raised the bar for authentic homemade cooking in a restaurant environment.”
George Zagon
“I saw him every Friday at lunchtime for a while and always talked with him. He was a gentleman, joker and larger than life character. An icon from the old world. Everyone loved him. He made the place fun. Tragic loss for Melbourne.”
Kerry and Peter Degotardi
“We have visited Pellegrini’s from Maroochydore for many years. Straight off the SkyBus and onto the tram to the top of Bourke St, our anticipation building for the sincere welcome as we took our seat where the loveable guy in the cravat was holding court. He addressed me as “bella” and actually remembered we were from Maroochydore as he prepared our granita. We are heartbroken.”
Kris McKay Lee
“Farewell Sisto, I will always cherish the moments you shook my hand, ruffled my son’s hair and told me how beautiful my wife and daughters were.”
Jeremy Carp
“For a birthday some years ago, he closed the kitchen area for me and my family. We talked footy — I actually had a soft spot for Essendon and Sheedy after speaking with him. He poured my watermelon granita almost every day for years, the moment he saw me walk into the restaurant. He made everyone feel special and welcome. It was as though the restaurant was his own kitchen.”
Clare Douglass
“Being coffee lovers, my mother and I were in Pellegrini’s half way through last year. He gave us a free coffee after we told him we were from Canberra and spoke some Italian to him. May his soul rest in peace.”
Joe Senzo
“I have been going to Pellegrini’s for years and Sisto always greeted me with a warm smile. He always made time to have chat and have a joke. He will be sorely missed by his family and all that knew him.”
Marla Cichowski
“I visited Melbourne in Jan 2017 for the first time and my first meal was at Pellegrini’s. My good friends from NYC told me I had to eat there. I was travelling solo and sat at the counter alone. But I wasn’t alone. Sisto greeted me and made me feel so welcome. He even walked to the back of the restaurant with me and let me try some pizza they were making that day.”
Claudio Raiola
“I have many fond memories of my many visits to Pellegrini’s, the first of which occurred when I was primary-aged, more than 40 years ago. Sisto ensured that when you walked in to Pellegrini’s you felt as if you were sitting with your extended family. He would always be impeccably dressed, wearing his signature cravat and that charismatic Italian flair, style and constant smile. It was he who lay the foundation for Melbourne’s world famous coffee culture.”
Marc Peston
“As a long-time proud Melburnian, I relish the chance to take interstate or international friends to Pellegrini’s for an honest bowl of pasta, a watermelon granita and to see Sisto and his staff warmly welcome us into his establishment. I’m afraid Melbourne will never be the same.”
Dominic Bonadio
“I started my hospitality career in the early 70s at the Southern Cross Hotel and went to Pellegrini’s for coffee on my breaks. His way with people was amazing and I looked up to him in hope that one day, I would be able to replicate that with my customers. Melbourne has lost a great man and a legend of our industry.”
Bruce Esplin
“Always welcoming, always up for a chat, always a strong opinion and always a friend. You are never alone at Pellegrini’s.”
Helen Kontopoulos
“We are from Adelaide and never miss going to Pellegrini’s when we are in Melbourne. We have even introduced our children to the old-fashioned, honest good food and watermelon granita. I will never forget when a patron came in for lunch and wanted to vary the pasta dish he ordered. Sisto politely said “this is how we make, if you want something modern go across the road”. May you rest in peace and may your family take solace in the knowledge that you were a great entrepreneur.”
Carole Owen
“We always took our overseas visitors there for great coffee and pasta. Sisto will be remembered with great affection. Such a tragic loss of life, such a great icon gone.”
Melissa O’Sullivan
“I clearly remember my first visit to Pellegrini’s when I was 19. It was a freezing Melbourne day and I walked into a restaurant of welcoming warmth, the most delicious aromas and a friendly buzz of happy customers and staff. Lunch was so delicious that I lingered a long time over my short black not wanting it to end. Sisto, you will always be a loved part of the fabric of Melbourne. Thank you for your hospitality, for creating so many special memories for all of us.”
Kim Atkinson
“When I returned to Melbourne in 1956, Pellegrini’s became my oasis. A few of us who went to Taylor’s Coaching College clung to friendship and memories over afternoon granitas and delicious gelato. The coffee and love of life created a Melbourne of hope and dreams fulfilled.”
Raymond Capkin
“I owned a menswear store opposite Pellegrini’s in the 80s. Pellegrini’s was like walking into a cafe in the Via Veneto in Rome. Sisto had a welcoming smile the width of the Colosseum and I was fortunate enough to be a patron for many years. rest in peace Sisto, a part of Melbourne has died with you.”
Hali McGrath
“I lived in Melbourne for five years in the 90s, working as an artist and music photographer. It was tough to get by and I often had little money to spend on dining. One day, Sisto asked to see my art. I showed him, and he seemed impressed. He asked if I was hungry and I said yes, but explained my financial situation. Without missing a beat, he asked if I would trade one of my sketches for a plate of spaghetti — and of course I did. He took the drawing and hung it on the wall behind the bar. It stayed there for years and was still hanging there the last time I visited. Sisto was the heart of Melbourne to me.”
Roxanne Viggiano
“I went to Pellegrini’s as a lone customer when I was feeling down and Sisto went out of his way to smile and give me attention. He will never know how much I appreciated that and until today, I didn’t realise how much he obviously meant to so many other grieving patrons. Sisto was the embodiment of the best of Italian culture.”
Mark Newman
“Sisto Malaspina — you fed Melbourne with your unforgettable, million dollar smile, infectious laugh and good nature. I have dined at Pellegrini’s for over 50 years — as a child, student, city worker and resident and always enjoyed Sisto’s good-natured banter and humour. Sisto was a bon vivant, a sharp dresser, friendly and engaging, compassionate and humorous. You could tell that Sisto loved life and life loved Sisto. Sisto was a pioneer in Melbourne’s cafe culture and a much loved member of our community.”
Marla Cichowski
“I visited Melbourne in January 2017 for the first time and my first meal was at Pellegrini’s. My good friends from New York City told me I had to eat there. I was travelling solo and sat at the counter alone. But I wasn’t alone. Sisto greeted me and made me feel so welcome. He even walked to the back of the restaurant with me and let me try some pizza they were making that day. It was heaven. I’ll never forget that day or his smile.”
Kerry Clifford
“A gentleman, sweet and kind, every time I visited Melbourne your restaurant was on my must go-to list. I’d sit at the bar on my own and you’d make me a coffee or a fruit drink and order my lasagne. Oh how you will be missed.”
Peter Marsden
“My heart breaks. I shared laughs with Sisto about my beloved GWS Giants just months ago, before our semi final clash against Collingwood this year. We did the same in 2017 and in 2016. He often asked if I was OK supporting ‘these Giants’ it being seen as some sort of strange phenomenon to a Victorian. A counter lunch and chat with Sisto became as traditional as a trip to the G for the footy.”
Jordan Pregelj
“I remember going to Pellegrini’s as a child after Sunday evening church with my parents and their friends when we first came to Melbourne in 1958. I remember he served me my favourite plate of hand-cut chips. Sisto was always there welcoming, attentive with a huge smile and a joke. He remembered all my family every time we came back and asked after them when I was alone. We will honour his memory always.”
Sweet Felicia
“Sisto was a most beautiful and joyful man. If I ever felt down and was in the city, I would go to Pellegrini’s for a smile and a coffee. If I had guests from interstate or overseas, it was one of our must-dos. I will miss him.”
John Mosley
“I was first taken to Pelligrini’s in 1972 by my parents at the age of five. We went there regularly and always ate out the back, in the kitchen. My life took me all over the world, but the one thing that was always constant was the rock of Pelligrini’s, Sisto. I am heartbroken. Sisto is dead but long live Pellingrini’s!”
Natasha Bakker
“I remember one night a few years ago, I was waiting to pick up my mum and dad after a Friday night Geelong game at the G. It was torrential rain and I sat in Pellegrini’s eating my dinner with nowhere to go for three hours. Sisto propped me up in the corner and came back with a cake and coffee, turned the radio on and we listened to the game together.”
Evelyn Schultz
“We went to Pellegrini’s after our wedding reception 40 years ago. Sisto brought out a bottle of champagne for free when I told him we just got married. I just wanted to share our joy. He sat and drank with us. I was overwhelmed by his kindness for complete strangers. He was so lovely and kind — a man with a good heart.”
Leon Dowsett
“I was first a customer at Pellegrini’s going back to about 1984. Every so often when in the CBD I would go in for what I deemed, the best damn coffee in town. You could always tell Sisto, because he always wore the biggest smile in Melbourne, with a heart of gold to match.”
Jennifer Coburn
“My father took my mother on their first date to Pelligrini’s in the 1960s. When I moved to Melbourne in the 1980s, my father insisted I must eat at Pelligrini’s at least once a week. My future husband also ate regularly at Pelligrini’s and when we had our daughter - she grew up in Pelligrini’s! For a very long time it was her favourite restaurant.”
Caroline Fraser
“I used to go to Pellegrini’s with my mother in the late 1970s. I shared my last meal with my father there in 1990 before he died. After that if I came with a friend and there was no eating left, Sisto invited us to sit at the table in the small kitchen. Everyone was happy at Pellegrini’s whenever I went there, diners and staff. It was always busy, always loud, with some people having intense conversations, others laughing joyfully and Sisto always ready to complement the ladies whatever their age. I think he was probably the first man who told me I was beautiful! It was the first place I had granita — strawberry, my favourite. And their legendary Russian Salad!”
Bernadette Novembre
“My name is Bernadette Novembre and I too was touched by Sisto’s generous spirit. My mum went to Pellegrini’s since it opened in 1954 - my parents are also Italian migrants. We knew Sisto well. He would always be up for a chat whenever I went in and always had a smile on his face. I am also a Melbourne based singer songwriter and asked Sisto if I could shoot some promotional photos at the cafe. I remember his genuine excitement at being involved in my project. It was as if I was part of his family. He had a genuine interest in everybody from all walks of life. Sisto is a fine example of how Italian migrants contributed to Melbourne’s culture. Rest in peace Sisto.”
Pete and Sherry McGeown
“Friends of my wife, Sherry, had recommended Pellegrinis as they had courted there in the fifties. Each time we have been there we were treated so well by this wonderful man, larger than life and so passionate about life also. His food and coffee was unbelievable. Only last Saturday night we took friends there and we were treated like family. Lots of fun, laughter and great stories. He was truly the grandfather of not only Bourke St, but Melbourne itself. We are devastated that we will never see him again. R.I.P. Sisto. We will never forget you.”
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