Ms Valtolina was recently announced as one of Food Service Magazine’s top 30 under 30 food service industry players, and was recognised at this year’s Food Service Convention.

“It was really good, and the thing that I felt was overwhelmed – it’s great for the front of the house to get really good recognition because most times it is all about the chef, the food,” Ms Valtolina said.

Being amongst the other top 29 in her field at the convention helped her realise she was not alone in sharing a desire to set a benchmark.

“In regarding the award, one thing I really loved was there were all the 30 there, and I was really surprised about how many young people are passionate about this industry.

“It really amazed me. I was in this room and I am 25, and I was still one of the youngest, and there were people there 18 or 19 who were head chefs – it was just amazing.”

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She says the recognition was important because she got it by working hard alongside Luke Piccolo at ‘Limone’ to bring the restaurant up to the national spotlight. 

With her passion for food, a dedication to delivering the ultimate experience for her customers, it is clear to see how she stood out from the 5000 entrants from across Australia.

“It’s stimulating. That is what I really love about my job, and I really love to make people happy.”

“I like to deliver good experiences – when they get up at the end of the night and they are happy, they leave with a smile and say beautiful things, it really makes you feel good.”

Her personal goal now it to become a sommelier next year –  a wine connoisseur specialising in Australian wines.

For Ms Valtolina, Griffith has allowed her to not only follow her passion, but to also become part of a community and culture sharing this love with her.

“When I first moved to Griffith I had no idea what to expect.”

“At the start here it was hard, because I come from a big city – coming from Milan and then moving to Sydney and then to here, I thought, it’s a bit too small!”

“And then I think because I started to get into the community – the people are great, and I fell in love with the restaurant, with Luke and the town.”

After two and a half years, she now feels “suffocated” visiting the city.

“I miss the connection to things. In a café in the city you are anonymous.”

While relatively new and up against established restaurants, Ms Valtolina said she would never compare the restaurants to each other.

“So for me, yes there are so many restaurants, but they are all very different. I would never compare with any others because we are all so different, we all do different things.”

”You go into the city and they are pretty much all the same, and that’s where the competition is, but every couple of weeks another restaurant opens and it’s the same as yours.

“But in Griffith, you have the Italian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Afghani, fine dining, the seafood, and I absolutely love that!”