La Formaggeria

In the narrow corner space where Acland Street meets Carlisle Street, you will most likely see Katia and Sabrina Cappadocio slicing prosciutto, babbling in Italian and spooning fresh ricotta onto locally made muesli. The Cappadocio sisters have joined Luca Calcaterra (Il Fornaio) and the Filippelli brothers (Il Fornaio, The Last Piece, Brighton Schoolhouse) to bring La Formaggeria to St Kilda.

The Cappadocio family has produced cheese in Italy since the 1960s, making it by hand using a completely natural process. While showcasing the tradition at Il Fornaio, the ladies produced soft ricotta, bulbous scarmorza, delicate buffalo mozzarella and modern inventions starring chili and herbs.

Now in their own micro cheese lab the sisters will be making more than 100 different types of cheese. The store will also sell Italian goods. A local nutritionist has curated locally made produce from small, quality suppliers, featuring maple-sweetened Port Melbourne chocolate, Mayver’s nut spreads, natural body creams, macrobiotic muesli, fresh produce including heirloom tomatoes and even toilet paper. Behind the counter, paninis are built to order, the muesli bar induces paralysing indecision, cold-pressed juices and smoothies are mixed with fresh fruits and vegetables and the ‘brew bar’ warms the soul (especially the peanut butter Mork’s hot chocolate).