Anne Ferrari

Be happy with little.

As the story goes, Anne was born into the food and wine industry — part of the Re family dynasty which spans over a century. Both sides of her family were merchants on the island of Salina, renowned for its vineyards, capers and trading networks.

Her grandparents travelled between Italy, the US and Australia before settling in Western Australia. Anne’s paternal grandfather, Giuseppe Re, first ran a grocery and produce store with Italian friends in Sydney  before heading to the goldfields of New South Wales and Victoria in 1885, where he made a £2,000 strike. Drawn by tales of Kalgoorlie, he went west in 1894 to seek a new fortune. In 1904, Giuseppe opened a deli in High Street, Fremantle, supplying produce to miners. The business thrived, and he later expanded with a second store, Giuseppe Re and Sons, on James Street in Northbridge.

Giuseppe Re outside his store, Giuseppe Re & Sons, in Northbridge.
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

In 1929, Guiseppe married Maria Ruggera. To secure capital for a fruit and vegetable store, they used her wedding ring as surety. They worked very hard during the Great Depression, earning enough money to put a deposit on five small shops at the corner of Lake and Aberdeen streets in Northbridge. The couple went on to have 10 sons. Their second eldest, Giovanni (John), Anne’s father, would later establish what became the Re Store and build a distinguished career in the food industry.

In 1936, John and his wife Maria opened a grocery store opposite St Brigid’s Church in Northbridge and the original Re Store was born. Their four daughters followed – Carolina, Adriana, Aurora and Anne (born in 1944  when John returned from internment during the war).

This 1946 photograph of Anne, age two, was taken by Lafayette Dease Photographer in the lounge room of her family home on the corner of Aberdeen and Lake Street, Northbridge (now the site of Corica Patisserie).
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

The first Re Store opened in 1936  at the junction of Lake and Aberdeen streets in Northbridge. 
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

The war years were hard for families balancing business and young children, yet the Re Store managed to keep trading. After the war, waves of migrants from war-torn Europe found in the Re Store a home away from home, with Italian foods, books and magazines on its shelves. In 1955, the family opened a second Re Store on Stone Street in West Perth.

By then, all four daughters and their partners were working in the family business. From an early age, Anne joined her sisters in the Northbridge store, where their father raised them ‘as sons’, taking on roles usually held by men. The store became central to their lives. They worked with dedication, supported their parents and in time the family business was handed down to them and their husbands. The sisters only stepped away temporarily when their children were born.

Anne (far right) with her sisters Adriana Giudicatti, Aurora Berti and Carolina Meneghello at the Re Store’s Leederville branch, opened in 1974. Stocked with fine European goods, it soon became known for its cellar, where customers explored the pleasures of pairing wine with food. 
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

The influx of Italian migrants in the 1950’s signaled a boom in the food industry. An exciting era in Perth where opportunities were bountiful and hard work ensured success. Northbridge, known as Little Italy, was alive and bustling with activity. The Re Store was a cosmopolitan hub which attracted people who wanted to savour the Italian cuisine, the amazing produce on offer and the warm, welcoming hospitality of the Re family.

Anne began working full time in the store at just 14. Coffee, however, became her greatest inspiration, thanks to her father. He had roasted coffee on a small machine since 1936, but in the late 1950s – inspired by English coffee houses – they opened the Braziliano Coffee Shop in Aberdeen Street to roast in larger quantities.

Anne’s fondest memories are of buying beans, roasting coffee and learning about blends. She counts her daughter Catherine’s success as Australian Champion Coffee Cupper in 2008 and her attendance at the World Coffee Championships in Denmark among her most memorable food moments.

Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

Anne Ferrari’s sister Aurora Re and Mrs Sossi, a store employee, behind the counter at the Re Store, 1959.
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

At the Braziliano Coffee Shop, Anne grew her love of coffee that became a family legacy. Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

Anne has carried on the family tradition of hosting holiday feasts, sometimes welcoming up to 70 guests into her and husband Eric’s home. Preparing the meal is a three-day labour of love: one day devoted to sweets and desserts, another to meat and fish, and a third to pastas, arancini and accompaniments.

Anne Re married Enrico Ferrari on 5 May 1968 at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Wembley.
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

She continues to prepare the traditional Aeolian Island dishes she cherishes – agrodolce, gigi and spicchatedda – recipes passed down for centuries. By sharing them with new generations, Anne ensures her heritage lives on. At the heart of it all is her abundant love for family. Today, she is recognised as an iconic figure in Perth’s food scene, loved and treasured by both her family and the wider Western Australian community.

Anne and Enrico dancing at their niece’s wedding at Fraser’s Restaurant, Kings Park, 2024.
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

Family portrait of Anne and Eric with their children Giuliette, John and Catherine.
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari

Anne and grandson Robert at the Re Store, beside the coffee machine she operated as the store’s coffee specialist. 
Credit: Anne and Eric Ferrari