WE ARE ELISA AND ZOY, HUSBAND AND WIFE,
WHO HAVE A SHARED LOVE AND PASSION FOR COOKING.
From a little Elisa watching Nonna preparing Pizza, to a little Zoy helping his dad scale fish at their Fish N Chip shop; Cooking, preparing food and sharing meals around the family table has always been a significant part of both our lives.
And now we want to share it all with you.
Recipes we’ve created together, treasured family recipes and stories that go along with them.
We hope you enjoy following the cooking journey of An Italian and a Greek.
GET TO KNOW US A LITTLE MORE...
ELISA'S STORY
I am half Italian and a citizen of Italy, Australia and the UK.
My father's family are from the Veneto region in Italy. My Nonna grew up in Conegliano and Nonno in Treviso. They moved to Verona in the 1960s. My mother was born in England but moved back to Australia with her Australian parents when she was still a baby. My parents met and fell in love in Verona in 1983. I was very lucky to spend a little part of my childhood in Verona and Torri del Benaco, Lago di Garda.
I have a Bachelor of Music and have worked as a professional Actor and Singer for the past 10 years. A highlight of my career was being handpicked by Dame Julie Andrews to play the role of Eliza Doolittle during the Melbourne season of Opera Australia's MY FAIR LADY in 2017.
Having always had an appreciation of good food and, of course, a real love for Italian cuisine, it wasn't until I met my husband Zoy that I really found my confidence in cooking and creating my own dishes. Zoy encouraged me to embrace my 'inner nonna' and find my joy and passion in cooking.
ZOY'S STORY
My father, Theo, was born in Mytikas, Aetolia Acarnania and migrated to Australia with his family in the 1950s. My mother is of Indigenous and German/Scottish decent, was born on Wemba Wemba country in Lake Boga.
Food has always taken centre stage in my family. Dad ran 'Jonah's Seafoods' - a famous fish and chip shop in Ballarat. My uncles and aunties all ran (and some still run) various restaurants, cafes and fish N chip shops.
Both my parents are great cooks and from an early age I was watching them and stirring and chopping things. At the fish shop I would often help dad out stacking the drinks shelf, making chips, steak burgers and scaling fish.
In my late teens and early 20s I was a national level sprinter but injury forced me to find another passion. I pursued a career as an Actor and Singer and have had many highlights including playing the role of Judas in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at the State Theatre and being part of the world's first Indigenous Australian Opera, 'PECAN SUMMER'.
I also run a Graphic Design company Zoy Frangos Design.
I have always had a keen interest in food and finding my own path with it. I describe my style as 'chaos cooking'.
Meeting Elisa opened my eyes to traditional Italian cooking. Elisa taught me how to balance, finesse and to utilize less ingredients for the perfect taste. Cooking is how I relax and I love to try new recipes and make lots of mistakes... It's the only way we learn!