19th Hole Bistro

BUSINESS PROFILE: RAFFAELE AND JOYCE CAPUTO 19th Hole Bistro - A Family Affair

By Liz Clark

Raffaele and Joyce Caputo, and their three daughters, have enjoyed getting away from Melbourne for holidays at Point Roadknight for 40 years or so, and have come to love the area, the people and the lifestyle.

They have been involved in the catering industry for many years in Melbourne, Sydney and South Australia, and have a wealth of experience particularly in event catering. In June 2019, they approached the Anglesea Golf Club with a proposal to take over the management of the restaurant. It was exciting to have the opportunity provide a new look and feel to accompany the refurbishments in the golf club house. A lease agreement was signed, with the expectation that they would provide staff and food for the restaurant, and work with the club on future promotions and events. This was an exciting step for them as a family, as they moved to permanent residency in Anglesea, and had the chance to put their unique stamp on a dining venue already well loved by residents and visitors.

A name change was in order to go with the new look and feel of the restaurant, and so ‘19 th Hole Bistro’ was born, to offer a family bistro to the public, with catering to feature good, attractive food, somewhere in-between restaurant style and pub meals. Frederick Carcedo was employed as head chef, some existing staff members agreed to join the team, and others were recruited, including the restaurant manager, Sarelle Kemp, a kitchen team, and their daughter Gina. They were off to a great start. The summer season was extremely successful for the restaurant, meals poured through the kitchen, there was great support for the brighter looking restaurant, the professional and friendly staff and the wide range of food offered.

Raffaele reported what he called a ‘bumper season’. Theme nights, like the always popular roast night, returned to the restaurant and were well received by the public. It was a wonderful start.

Dining out with a view of the golf course.

It’s normal to expect things to slow down in a tourist town as March and April and winter approach, but no-one was prepared for the COVID-19 virus and the changes required for businesses, restaurant and food outlets. Shut-down meant just that, and staff had to work out ways to both look after the members and local customers, and provide for their needs, as well as to keep themselves employed. Like many, they made the move to take-home food. A new menu was worked out, and life changed in the kitchen. Raffaele cannot speak highly enough of his loyal, hardworking staff who have supported these changes so well despite ongoing difficulties with restrictions, changing rules, and having to adapt to new roles. Kitchen staff became delivery people too, and everyone pitched in to fill roles as required. It has been difficult to keep everyone motivated, particularly with the excitement of re-opening being taken away so quickly, with another lockdown. Service with a smile has continued though, under difficult circumstances.

can confirm that the meals have been excellent.

In the middle of such trying times, the days when you don’t have to think ‘what’s for dinner?’ but can pick up the phone and order just what you feel like is an amazing comfort. The only thing I found a bit disconcerting was the fact that dinner was delivered to my door around 5pm, a time I would normally be thinking about what on earth we were going to eat. Raffaele told me that he had concerns for his staff making deliveries in the dark in unfamiliar streets –so early meals for us. A quick zap in the microwave meant the quickest meal I had made for a long time. I, for one, am very grateful.

When opening was again permitted, new rules only allowed 20 people in one area and 20 in the other. It was decided to have two sittings on the nights they opened and to continue with take-home meals on those days as well. This certainly kept staff on their toes

19th Hole Bistro staff, L-R: Frederick Carcedo (Executive Chef), Mika Krywult (Assist Front of House Manager), Sarelle Kemp (Front of House Manager) and Mani Kant (Sous Chef).

but efficiency and hospitality have become key words in their service to the public, and customers were able to enjoy sit-down meals once again. Not for long, however, and at the time of writing, an uncertain future awaits. For Anglesea, the 19 th Hole Bistro offers an interesting and exciting dining future and the chance to support local people in their business venture. For the Caputo family and the staff: their positive attitudes and pride in a job done so well, so far, should be an encouragement to keep on going and to provide Anglesea with ongoing creative food and welcoming service.

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Banking on our Community

By Rob Cameron Bendigo Community Bank ® The Anglesea RSL War Memorial project (located adjacent to Cameron Park) has taken an exciting step forward, as funding from the Anglesea and District Community Bank and the Surf Coast Shire Council has complemented the local donations and club funds, to see the building target of $65,000 finally reached. The project will commence as soon as it appears on the council building roster and COVID restrictions allow. Although the timeline is short, the RSL is hopeful the construction will be completed by Remembrance Day, on 11 November. The Memorial will be a constant visual reminder to both the Anglesea district locals and visitors to our region, of the sacrifices made by our service men and women. It will also provide a larger open space for special commemorative occasions and quiet reflection, while creating an educational place for younger members of the community.

Caitlyn Oakley from the Community Bank, with War Memorial committee members, Angie Hunt, Keith Hornibrook and David Morris, receiving a $10,000 donation toward the $65,000 memorial fundraising effort.

In addition to $10,000 donated by the Bank for the memorial, an additional $3,000 was contributed towards the installation of a safe walkway with wheelchair access to the Memorial Garden at the rear of the RSL building in Murray Street, to ensure it can be easily accessed and enjoyed by all. The Bank is proud to work with the RSL to bring this project to life. ANGAIR has also recently benefitted from funding support provided by the Community Bank, with a grant of $1,250 to refurbish the signage on the Anglesea Perimeter Walk. The signs had faded quite considerably over time and the committee felt the need was urgent to complete an upgrade to enable visitors a clearer, informed passage. The Anglesea and District Community Bank has now provided in excess of $1,000,000 in grants to local schools, sporting clubs, service groups, medical facilities and environmental groups throughout the area. The Bank’s staff and directors would like to thank our customers for choosing to bank locally. We wouldn’t be able to give back in this way without them.

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“Yield in English is the reaping, the things that man can take from the land. In the language of the Wiradjuri 'yield' is the things you give to, the movement, the space between things - baayanha, baayanma.” On the banks of the Murrumby River, Albert Goondiwindi is looking back over his life, knowing he will soon die. Albert begins to catalogue language and culture to pass on to the next generation in a sacred transcript. His granddaughter, August Goondiwindi, after living overseas for the past decade, is drawn home at his death. She is faced with all that she ran from many years ago ... all the grief that so deeply weighs her down. Heart-wrenchingly, their precious community is amidst the fight of repossession of their land by a mining company, with dire consequences for all those who belong to this tribe. The Yield is a book of culture, of rich history in language and identity, written from three perspectives. A book to ponder and to savour, not wanting it to end but allowing the words to soak right through. Review by Lydia @ Great Escape Books

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The Last Lighthouse Keeper

by John Cook and Jon Bauer

This book was so unexpectedly brilliant. I couldn’t put it down, as the intrigue and raw human emotion of the story developed. The isolation faced by lighthouse keepers and their families of John Cook’s era, prior to electrification of lighthouses, created emotion that pulled between their inspiring natural settings, and the cruel mental struggles that isolation amplifies. The uncertainty of John’s family situation and the price he pays to pursue a vocation that gives his life purpose, is an extraordinary tug of war that has the reader turning pages to the end in search of resolution. The book is full of pearls of wisdom that I found myself jotting down, so I could keep them with me after the book ended, which I was very disappointed to see it do. Beautiful, honest and entertaining, you will be involuntarily transported to a place that many of us hope we don’t have to deal with but we know is, in some form, a scary possibility. Review by Marty Maher (Nic's partner) @ Great Escape Books