Takes the cake …

Carlton has its icons, but Brunetti’s must take the cake for providing us with an Italian icon in an ever-changing Lygon St. It holds its own in the street as a reflection of a past and a preparedness to grapple with the challenges of the future.

A recent Carlton Conversations evening with owner of Brunetti Classico Fabio Angele was personable, enjoyable and informative. Fabio traversed the history of his family living in Italy to the ‘56 Melbourne Olympics where his father was a member of the Italian Team. No, not as an athlete, but a chef.

The Italian team bought with them food from home wary of what was on offer here in Melbourne. They were rightly prepared. And like the Angele family many stayed! The rest is a culinary history of the Angele family’s contribution to coffee, cakes and Italian fare here in Carlton and across Melbourne.

Carlton was the beneficiary of the Angele family, the Brunetti trade name and the coffee, cakes and Italian fare served in Brunetti Classico in Lygon St. It was an evening of roaming through Fabio’s life with tales and photos of the family, times back home and times here in Melbourne and in Carlton.

We sat in the Brunetti Classico dining room and were treated to antipasto, cakes and with wine supplied by the Carlton Residents’ Association (CRA). The Carlton Conversations is a feature of the CRA’s contribution to the past and current life and times of Lygon St and its future.

And the intention is clear; to rejuvenate Lygon St as a destination for not only Carlton but the people of Melbourne and beyond. The convivial evening concluded with many questions and a commitment to join with the CRA and Carlton Inc in developing a “2035 Vision for Lygon St”.

We need to reflect on Lygon St’s past and plan for its future as a destination for residents and visitors alike. We need a 24/7 street and not be beholden to a night-time economy only. We need diversity in the street that recognises the needs of residents and the interests of visitors both day and night.

The CRA has made a start in the conversation with the recently released draft plan for the rejuvenation of Lygon St by committee member Peter Sanders. The aim would be to create a vibrant, sustainable and accessible retail and entertainment spine for Carlton.

The plan would include a reduction in the speed limit to 30km/h, extensions to the footpath to allow for dining and seating, and a reduction in traffic flows to one way each way. But the conversation needs not to end there but to start now.

And that conversation should include the continuation of the bluestone paving beyond the east side of Lygon St between Queensberry and Pelham streets that is expected to commence this month.

While the council has committed funds for this section of bluestone paving there is no guarantee of funding for the paving of the reminder of the street. A patchwork approach will not lead to the rejuvenation of our iconic Lygon St.

We need a collaborative and comprehensive plan. That would certainly take the cake! •