Oliva (Liv) Pizzirani-Rand grew up in a restaurant – her grandparents’ Italian restaurant in Port Sorell to be precise.
“I have strong memories of sitting under restaurant tables eating olives as a kid – food has always been a huge part of my life – it runs in the family!”
Liv’s Nonna and Nonno migrated to Australia in 1964. They landed in Tasmania and here they raised a family and opened an Italian Restaurant known as Pizzirani’s (inspired by their lives in Bologna) – and the family legacy was born.
“My upbringing shaped my whole concept of food and family.”
Liv’s Nonna was the cook at the original Pizzirani’s, creating a menu which showcased homestyle Italian cooking – working painstakingly hard to perfect iconic family recipes such as their famous eight hour slow-cooked bolognese sauce.
“My Nonna has been my cooking mentor from day one. I think my generation likes to cut corners but I learnt from Nonna that good food takes time and patience!”
The first Pizzirani’s in Port Sorell fast became a North West coast institution, and Liv’s Nonno and Nonna enjoyed many successful years of trading before closing in the early 2000s.
In 2018, after travelling overseas and growing her passion for food, Liv returned home to Devonport where she raised the idea of opening another Pizzirani’s over a casual dinner with the fam – and before she knew it, she was opening Pizzirani’s Cucina – 2.0!
“My Nonna came out of retirement to help with the new restaurant. She was in her 80s but she has the strongest work ethic I know!”
Although the original Pizzirani’s specialised in traditional Italian homestyle cooking, Liv was keen to put her own spin on family recipes:
“When I told my Nonna I was going to make a spring roll with bolognese sauce it in, she was actually really mad at me.
“She told me I needed to keep things traditional… but I have always been a creative person and I was keen to mix things up.”
And mix it up she did!
Other examples of Liv’s creative flavour fusions include a miso caramel tiramisu and umami pasta.
“We incorporate miso into the caramel which is like a match made in heaven – it’s both salty and creamy.”
And you’d be hard pressed to find someone who went to the most recent Taste of Summer and didn’t hear about Liv’s Umami Butter Lobster pasta.
“The umami butter pasta happened because that’s sort of, an emulsification that we do with soy sauce, oyster sauce and sambal.
“Then you’ve got the lobster – seafood and umami butter are a match made in heaven.”
The bolognese spring roll has been deep fried to crispy perfection, giving a satisfying crunch to each bite. The freshness and kick of the jalapeno salsa cuts through the richness of the bolognese sauce perfectly – it’s bolognese like you’ve never tried it before!
It is likely you’ve spotted Liv, her famous Nonna and the Pizzirani crew at local Hobart events – like the Taste of Summer and Dark Mofo. Liv credits these events with helping her grow her confidence as a chef.
“My goal has always been to have a stall at the Taste of Summer or Dark Mofo. When we did, I was blown away – it inspired me to start my cheffing qualification which I graduated from last year.”
As well as having the Pizzirani’s restaurant, Liv invested in a food truck (affectionately named Bambino) which allowed her the opportunity to take her Italian Street Food all along the North West coast.
After a successful seven years of trading in Devonport, Liv decided it was time for a new adventure – and when she was invited to join the Hanging Garden food scene, she didn’t hesitate.
Together with her partner and Chiosco manager, Daile Moyle, Liv made the move down south to start the next chapter of the Pizzirani story: Chiosco by Pizzirani’s Cucina (Chiosco translates to “little kiosk” in Italian).
They have a strong focus on using local produce and use Adam from Rough Rice’s hot sauce (with oysters – what a combo!) and Six Russell Bakes focaccia from Dino the Bread Guy.
“We obviously don’t have the space [in the kiosk] to be prepping focaccias each day so we customise our menu to include both items that we source from local small business, and our own signature dishes.”
Pizzirani’s Bambino truck has recently joined them in Hobart too – feel free to get in touch when you’re looking for catering options for your next event.
So, go say hi to Hobart newcomers Daile and Liv in the Hanging G – where they are slinging spring rolls, fresh pasta and espresso martinis for lunch and dinner from Wednesday though ’til Sunday.
