Mondo Patisserie opened in Midland, Western Australia in 1990 but our Mondo Nougat story started in Italy long before.
Alfonso Romeo learned the art of pastry while living in Calabria, first during boyhood stints working at his uncle’s patisserie, and later from an older brother who had perfected petit mignon while working in Germany.
Eventually, four of the six Romeo brothers were working at the popular Bar Romeo Pasticceria where they also hand-wrapped nougat from September until just after Christmas.
In 1978, Alfonso met his future wife Antonietta “Toni” Garreffa, who was born in Perth but had arrived in Italy for a five-week holiday. Five weeks became five months, and they married in 1979.
With sons Andrea, Simone and Marco arriving in the 1980s, Alfonso decided it was time to go into business himself.
It was a decision that changed his life in an unexpected way. Alfonso was arguably the best pâtissier in his hometown. So good, that when he set out to open in the town 7km away, he wasn’t welcome.
It sounds like the stuff of a crime novel but on the eve of opening his own patisserie in 1989, Alfonso’s shop was firebombed. Thankfully, the family had not yet moved into the flat upstairs.
Instead, Alfonso and Toni decided it was time to make a new life in Perth.
A mixer that was salvaged from the fire is still being used today, adding authenticity to the traditional Italian nougat made with the best Australian honey, eggs, nuts.
Alfonso and Toni initially helped a friend with a catering business that supplied pastries to Myer. In 1990, they opened Mondo Patisserie next to Mondo di Carne, run by Toni’s brother, renowned butcher Vincenzo Garreffa.
People travelled far and wide for Alfonso’s baked ricotta cheesecake, gelato, Italian style pastries and biscuits.
All that was missing was Christmas nougat. There was no such thing in Perth at the time, so Alfonso handmade and wrapped 20kg.
People kept coming back, so he made a little more. And a little more, with the dream of making one mix a week. Now, Mondo Nougat makes five or six batches a day, or 300 to 400kg.
In 1997, nougat went into production year-round and in 2000, the business relocated to Morley, becoming Mondo Nougat to focus just purely on nougat production under our motto: Tradition Innovation Excellence.
As the demand for our nougat grew, so did the need for storage space. In 2005, Mondo was on the move again, this time to our current location in the Swan Valley that combined a factory with a viewing window, retail and café where Alfonso’s beloved pastries could again be made and sold.
Alfonso passed away in 2022, but Mondo Nougat remains a family business, run by Toni, Andrea, Simone and Marco, with director and “fourth son” Edoardo Lissoni.
Today the Romeo family and the whole Mondo Nougat team take pride in producing the world’s finest nougat using the Australia ‘s finest ingredients to ensure that “La Dolce Vita” (the sweet life) and Alfonso’s legacy continue.
