About us

Owned and operated by the four Fellini partners – Carlo Percuoco, sister Anna Cacace, head chef Richard Burt and partner Raffaele Di Benedetto, the internationally-acclaimed restaurant is well-known for its exemplarily service, picturesque location, luxurious ambience, and above all – its citywide reputation of serving the finest in Italian cuisine.

Co-owner and restaurateur Carlo Percuoco attributes the restaurant’s ongoing success to a shared love for quality food and service that remains prevalent among the Fellini team.

Fellini

Partners

Carlo

Percuoco

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Carlo Percuoco was born in Naples and developed his culinary skills after growing up in the family business, Sydney’s famous Pulcinella restaurant. By the age of 18, Carlo ventured out into the dining room and by 21 he joined his brother Tony at his restaurant Senso Unico. Moving to the Gold Coast in 1993 he and brother Tony opened the successful Ristorante Grissini and later Bocconcini until the opening of today’s renowned Ristorante Fellini. Carlo holds a Master Farmhouse Cheese Maker certificate and has been accredited as a fellow with the Negociants Wine Fellowship. He mastered his pasta making skills working closely throughout the years with pasta makers in Italy and has been involved in a CSIRO project for the pasta industry in Australia. Carlo’s impressive history also includes the creation of the Gold Coast Chapter of Slow Food. Being the youngest of the Percuoco dynasty, Carlo has the fortune of having the best teachers in his mother Olimpia and father Mario and brothers Armando and Tony.

Carlo believes to become a great restaurateur you need great teachers, a good attitude and be very humble.

Richard

Burt

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Australian chef Richard Burt started his impressive career in 1980 at the Lakeside International Hotel in Canberra where he was awarded the national ‘Apprentice of the Year’. It was at the Lakeside International Hotel that Richard cooked for the Commonwealth Heads of Government including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, members of the royal family, the Prime Minister of Australia and diplomats. Moving to the Gold Coast in conjunction with the opening of Conrad Jupiters, Richard was the Executive Chef for two of the largest hotels on the Gold Coast – the Ramada and the Ocean Blue. Managing a team of 30 kitchen staff, Richard was responsible for serving 2500 guests for breakfast and 1500 for dinner over the Expo ’88 event. He formed a partnership with the Percuoco family after becoming the Executive Chef at Ristorante Grissini and later became a partner. Since then the acclaimed chef has won many coveted awards, including Signature Dish of the Year and has been regular international guest chef. One of Richard’s highlights was the ‘Five Chefs for Queensland’ event, where funds were raised for the Starlight Foundation. Richard formed Ristorante Fellini with the partners and is the Executive Chef of the Fellini kitchen which has cooked for an array of celebrities including the Sultan of Brunei, Freddy Prinze Jr, Kylie Minogue, Sarah Michelle Gellar and many more.

Anna

Cacace

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Anna Cacace, sister of Carlo, has been one of the driving forces behind the success of the award-winning Ristorante Fellini. Anna began cooking at a very young age and started her apprenticeship with her father Mario Percuoco who continues to be her inspiration. Early in Anna’s career she discovered an underlying passion and skill in creating classic Italian sauces. She prides herself on traditional Italian cooking methods, which have resulted in an amazing journey within the industry for 31 years. Anna has won many awards for her sauces which can be tasted by dining at Ristorante Fellini or from Pastificio Fellini, the pasta making factory at Marina Mirage. Anna has four of her classic sauces bottled for sale at Pastificio Fellini and says that the restaurant business is her life.

“It’s in my blood,” she says smiling.

Raffaele

Di Benedetto

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From the young age of 16 in the heart of Naples in Italy, Raffaele began his two-year apprenticeship at a classic pasta making factory. At 18, he immigrated to Australia where he continued his passion for pasta making in Hobart, Tasmania. Raffaele developed an extremely unique talent for making the finest fresh pasta using traditional Italian machines. An expert pasta maker, Rafaelle relocated to the Gold Coast where he met the Percuoco family and they collectively started Bocconcini in Surfers Paradise, then Grissini and Assaginie in Paradise Waters, supplying fresh pasta delicatessen style. But it was Ristorante Fellini where Raffaele started to make fresh pasta from a small machine in the kitchen and sold small amounts at customers’ request. Due to strong demand, the Fellini team imported large pasta making machines from Italy and opened Pastificio Fellini at Marina Mirage. In the first year alone Pastificio Fellini was awarded seven awards for their delicious pasta and sauces.

Media

Awards