Meet the Makers

Meet, McKay Wilday

Walk into Superlupo and you will see a glass wall that offers a peek into the pasta HQ - this is where you will find McKay Wilday today. Rolling, filling, shaping - creating the sort of food that transports your taste buds straight back to Nonna's house.

Born and raised in Tasmania, McKay developed a passion for cooking and a dream of owning his own restaurant, which led him to Melbourne. Here, he landed at Grossi Florentino, where he learned the art of pasta making. For five years he worked his way up, eventually running the pasta section and making the pasta for every Grossi restaurant at the time.

Then, what was meant to be a holiday to Italy with his wife turned into a three-year stay, during which he lived and learned the language and pasta of both the north and the south. In the north, an 80-year-old signora taught him her signature dish: Ravioli del Plin with Braised Rabbit - a moment McKay credits as a turning point in his cooking style. Then, in Salento in the south of Italy, he was sous chef at a tiny restaurant that earned the region's first Michelin star.

Still dreaming of owning his own restaurant in Australia, he moved to Copenhagen as a stepping stone in his journey back home. Here, he once again honed his skills in the world-famous Michelin-starred kitchens of 108 (part of the Noma group) and Geranium.

Eventually, he returned to Australia and, in 2023, McKay opened his restaurant Alta Trattoria in Fitzroy, picking up a Good Food Guide hat within its first three weeks.

Today, after more than a decade in bustling kitchens filled with 30 to 40 chefs, McKay's focus is on simplicity and quality.

He believes the tiny details - the execution - make all the difference, and that is what he wants Superlupo to represent.

Meet, Gianluca Cestino

The air is filled with flour, and the smell of fresh bread always lingers - this is Superlupo, the new home of Gianluca Cestino. Raised in Genova, Italy, and trained at the world famous ALMA Culinary School, Gianluca has travelled the world refining his craft and his love: baking.

When looking for inspiring places to work, he chose his bakeries based on the people in them, always seeking owners who could teach him something new.

'A recipe is just words on paper' he says; 'what actually matters is the flour, the water, the humidity, even the altitude' (a lesson learned high in the mountains of Norway).

His adventures took him around the world, where he worked in elite bakeries such as Juno the Bakery in Denmark and Hevd, in Trondheim, Norway and even opened two bakeries from scratch - one in Norway and one in Albania. Today Melbourne is lucky enough to have him settling in as Superlupo's lead baker.

The alignment is perfect: Gianluca's passion for consistency, reliability in flavour, and sourcing/using only the best quality ingredients is exactly what Superlupo represents: bread that is good every single day, not just at the beginning, baked by people who know exactly why it is done the way it is done.

Meet, Pierre

Early each morning, before the doors open, the ovens at Superlupo are already warm and the first loaves are coming out golden. That’s where you’ll find Pierre.

He knew he wanted to be a baker when he was just a kid. In his homeland of France, he trained at the Institut National de la Boulangerie Pâtisserie (INBP) in Rouen, before going on to complete a milling degree - learning the science of flour, grains and fermentation. He worked mostly in small, traditional French bakeries before making the move to Melbourne, which has been home for the past 13 years. Here, he has graced the kitchens of favourites such as Noisette, Woodfrog, Ned’s Bake, Phillipa’s and Baker of Things.

Pierre says the magic is in fermentation: the long rests, the careful handling, and the natural yeast you can’t see but can feel.

‘Melbourne has taught me that baking isn’t only about tradition and culture. It’s about making something people will enjoy with their coffee, gift to someone, or share around a table with friends and family. A day with a pastry for breakfast is already a good day,’ he says.

That’s what Superlupo is about too: great quality, beautiful and simple, with nothing extravagant and nothing to feel guilty about. Just good bread and pastries, made to be enjoyed at your own pace.

Meet the whole team

Davi

Alex

Liam

Michelle

Nicholas

ORESTE

NATHAN

Superlupo is "a place to showcase the diversity of wheat, whether in pastry or pasta.”

Ray Capaldi

Good wheat, in the right hands, is worth celebrating

@millerbakerjames

Superlupo's wholegrain durum semolina comes from a potato farm on the Mornington Peninsula.

The grower plants durum to benefit next season's potatoes, improving the ground by the time they are planted. He could have stopped there, but instead he took the wheat to James.

James (@millerbakerjames) is an ex-baker who became a miller, working out of a simple shed in his backyard. He mills in small amounts and only to order, so the flour is fresh when it reaches us - he even handwrites every label.

We tried it and immediately knew this was for us - considered and crafted, yet simple.

This is the type of wheat Ray envisioned for Superlupo from the start and is one of the few quality suppliers we consider family.

We also source flours from:

Tuerong Farm

Mulino Padano, Italy

Wholegrain Milling Co