I had dinner at Officina Gastronomica Italiana a couple of weeks ago and loved everything about it, from the exposed brick walls to the art deco lighting to the wall of wine. The food and wine were delicious too, but the thing I loved most about Officina Gastronomica Italiana was owner Claudio Casoni and the obvious love he has for hospitality and sharing the food and wine of his region, Emilia-Romagna. He told us some glorious stories on the night, so I knew that getting to sit down with him for a one on one chat would be a good time. I was not wrong. Claudio and I talked for an hour and explored all kinds of things about what brought him to Melbourne, his memories of making pasta with his nonna, there was a deep dive into natural wines, coffee and we also talked about the menu at OGI. I had a velvety, chocolatey espresso and I’m not sure I can ever drink coffee elsewhere. Claudio imports the beans from his friend, Manuel Terzi in Bologna and I don’t think you have tasted Italian coffee until you drink this coffee. Extraordinary. I was hanging off Claudio’s every word. It was such a treat to hear his story and I am delighted to be able to share it with you.