We’ve started this Pozible campaign to gather past, present and future patrons together to ensure the survival of one of our favourite places on the planet. A place where you’re always greeted with the biggest smile and the best hug. A place where you know that the food and wine is exactly what you’ve been craving all day. A place where you know you’ll meet the most interesting people.
Pinotta has faced some challenges over the past few months and needs your support to stay open. If you’ve ever enjoyed the warmth and comfort of this special place in North Fitzroy, or if it has been on your list of places to go, now is the best time to step in and help out.
Help Pinotta maintain its place as one of the most important pieces of social fabric in Fitzroy North and surrounds.
From local patron and business owner Ed Klein.
I think I can speak for many people when I tell you that Pinotta and, in particular Heidi Modra, has become an important part of our lives. Every village needs a melting pot and it’s clear that Pinotta has become that pot for Fitzroy North.
From the very first day I stepped into the restaurant I knew I had found something special. I was a complete stranger yet I was treated as an old friend. In no time we were laughing, crying, and sharing stories. I felt at home.
This wasn’t just regular good old fashioned hospitality, this was enduring.
I’m proud to call Heidi Modra my friend and I feel lucky to be part of the family that is Pinotta. Please be generous when considering your support for Pinotta’s Pozible campaign.
– Ed Klein. Owner, Grandfather’s Axe.
From owner Heidi Modra
I opened Pinotta in July 2011. It came about through a love of food and wine, but more importantly through a love of people. I wanted to be a part of something bigger, something that allowed participation in a greater community – that built lasting relationships with suppliers and customers, and something that I could find personal worth in. Pinotta has done all of these things. It has given me a great sense of pride and satisfaction and has made my every day more valuable. It has exhausted me, but also charged me with energy, courage and happiness.
I am blessed to have been a part of so many important moments at Pinotta. Two of my friends recently came in and celebrated their third wedding anniversary, and dined exactly where their engagement took place. I am now ‘Birthday Sister’ to Edie, whose parents dined here the night before she was born, and brought her in to say hello they day they left hospital. One of the rewards listed here is based on a very special anniversary dinner in the rotunda at Edinburgh Gardens. I’ve been told good news and bad news, and you have all been here for me when I’ve had my share of both.
I still remember the very first time I met Ed, where he sat and what we drank. All of these moments – the friendships, the weddings, the proposals, the births, the first dates – are the essence of what makes Pinotta the wonderful place it is.
The last (almost) six years of owning Pinotta have been the roller coaster of small business ownership. I came from another industry and this is the only hospitality job I’ve ever had. The first six months were the toughest, learning as I went. Taking everything on and working 80 hours a week, absorbing all the nuances of service. I was lucky that hospitality is ingrained in me. I also know that my naivety was a blessing. It was a case of one foot in front of the other, but loving every minute of it.
There have been ups and downs – the dissolution of a business partnership, neighbourhood and marketplace fluctuations, external conflicts – all of which I’ve tried to manage. I’ve painted every wall, skirting, window frame and ceiling more than once. I’ve changed opening hours from five days to seven days and back to five days.
Throughout this I’ve been supported by my hard working team, my incredible customers and my loyal and undeniably wonderful friends. I’m still solely responsible for everything, but I know now that I am never alone. It has been tough, as most of you have seen, but I believe that the Pinotta today is the best it’s ever been. Most of the difficulties have been out of my personal control. Right now I’m trying to bring everything under my control, to shift the negatives of the past into positives of the future.
If you can help today, we can share good times tomorrow.
All funds raised will be used directly to keep Pinotta viable. They will be immediately used to maintain supply and to ensure patrons continue to experience everything that Pinotta has been bringing to the community.
Pinotta is facing some tough financial challenges right now and, unfortunately the deadline is looming. Our greatest challenge is to raise the required funds in a short period of time (four weeks).
We encourage any person who is thinking about pledging to this wonderful restaurant to do so without hesitation. The good news is that you won’t have to wait long for your reward, the restaurant is open for business and ready to fulfil your reward now.