TRADITIONAL rustic cooking has hit the spot with customers flocking to Inglewood’s newest food experience.
Mara Gerbino and Vic Caruso are pouring their unfettered Italian passion into creating cuisine for every taste - from burgers, pasta and pies to cupcakes and slices.
And their new Inglewood Cafe-Bakehouse is proudly sourcing local produce to mix with recipes influenced by their life experiences.
The couple have been in Inglewood for just on a decade and jumped at the chance to ignite their love of creating great food when the opportunity came up.
Vic, who came from southern Italy to Australia as a 22-year-old, is drawing on experiences as a teenager with with uncles and cousins who were among the top chefs in Italy, Germany and Austria.
He ditched work as a construction site manager to start creating the Inglewood Cafe-Bakehouse dream with Mara, the Italian who has spent 30 years in hospitality.  “We wanted to bring something unique and special to Inglewood,” they said.
“It’s traditional rustic cooking ... heavily infused with Italian influences and made with locally-sourced ingredients.
“We believe in quality food for locals, visitors and those making a stop in town and at reasonable prices.”
Vic has kept up the skills honed in Italy - only last month he made an annual batch of salami. “We grew our own pig this year,” he said.
And then Vic and Mara’s family were joined by friends in making, the traditional way, tomato sauce - 40 boxes of tomatoes from Geoff Martin’s farm at Bridgewater.
Geoff’s tomatoes are used in Inglewood Cafe-Bakehouse’s pastas and burgers with meat from Steel’s Butchers in Wedderburn.
Mara and Vic will also have pizza on the menu. Perhaps not the traditional, minimalist Italian way as Aussies like their pizzas with lots of toppings.
“For me, this is not a job cooking in the kitchen at Inglewood Cafe-Bakehouse, it’s a passion,” Vic says. “Mara is the one who makes the great coffees - she always has - and was really keen that we started this new shop.”
Mara adds: “We are part of the town, we’ve lived here for a few years and our son goes to school here. 
“We love Inglewood and Inglewood Cafe-Bakehouse is adding to the dynamic and the vibe of Brooke Street.”
Inglewood Cafe-Bakehouse is open late from Thursday through to Sunday nights for dinner orders.
Vic and Mara’s days start before dawn, preparing for the rush on breakfast rolls followed by morning teas and lunches. 
“We are a husband and wife duo experienced within the coffee making, food chefing industry for over 30 years all over the world,” they said   “Inglewood has been our desired weekend away at our farmhouse location for a decade, now it’s also home for our cafe and we’re loving it.”