Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently my team and I had the pleasure of visiting a magnificent local small business in Empire Bay named Sorrento Pizzeria. Sorrento Pizzeria is owned by the friendly Mr Elia 'Luigi' Eliopoulou and produces exquisite-tasting authentic pizzas. Elia is incredibly passionate about his Italian ancestry as well as his grandmother's pizza recipes, which originated from Naples and are over 100 years old. Elia uses these recipes at Sorrento Pizzeria and they are why his customers keep going back for more. I can wholeheartedly say that I have not had pizzas that have tasted so good elsewhere. While my team and I were enjoying our pizzas, he explained his intriguing family history. His grandmother grew up in Naples and began the family tradition more than 100 years ago by learning how to bake bread and how to make pizzas. This tradition and the recipes were passed down to his mother and, after, his family immigrated to Australia.

Elia has fond memories of growing up in Marrickville in Sydney, enjoying these pizza recipes every Friday night after school. Fast forward to today and he is keeping with the family tradition and keeping the recipes alive through his exceptional Sorrento Pizzeria. He is often supported around the restaurant by his young children, Sophie and Jack, where the pizza-making knowledge is again being passed down to the next generation.

Sorrento Pizzeria has also just recently been named one of nine Australian winners of the Square 50 awards facilitated by the global fintech company Square. Square 50 celebrates businesses reaching major milestones within their operations. After Square received more than 1,000 submissions from across the globe, 50 businesses were selected to be part of this year's best, which included Sorrento Pizzeria, on the mighty Central Coast in New South Wales. This remarkable achievement underscores Sorrento Pizzeria's commitment to its high-quality pizzas, outstanding customer service and authentic Italian experience.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend Mr Elia Eliopoulou on his amazing pizzeria. My team and I were blown away by your delicious pizzas and friendly staff. Congratulations on your global recognition, and thank you for being an excellent businessman and employer of young people on the Central Coast. I look forward to visiting again soon. Keep up the phenomenal work.