Sarti Restaurant Bar

Joe Mammone

General Manager & Owner

At 34, Joe Mammone’s dedication to the restaurant game so far extends to over 15 years.

Beginning his career as a barrista at Clive Kirby’s El Ella, at 18 Joe was managing the busy coffee production at the high-end Toorak restaurant. Quickly promoted to floor manager, it was here working for the renowned chef Kirby that sparked Joe’s love for the industry and where it all began.

Whilst in the infant stages of his career, Joe took restaurant management seriously. His drive and talents quickly became apparent and it was not long after that he was to be approached to work for the well-known Melbourne institution: Caffé e Cucina.

During his time at Cucina, Joe moved across all front-of-house operations from head barman to floor manager, acquiring skills across every area of the business and further developing his keen ambition. It was at Cucina, whilst working along side industry profiles such as Maurice Terzini, where Joe secured a passion for restaurants and the desire to one day own his own.

After 4 years at Cucina, Joe moved onward and upward to become assistant manager to Alex Armatra (former manager of Marchetti’s Latin) at Scusami, the 150 seater, two-hat restaurant in Southbank.
Running the large scale dining room at Scusami was a new challenge for Mammone who took to it like a duck to water. It was here where he worked with master chef Simon Humble who to Joe, demonstrated that success stems from hard work and passion.

Then onto the Big Apple, Joe pursued his career overseas, deciding to work in New York where he found himself in some of the country’s highest profile dining rooms serving equally high profile celebrity clientele. From Cipriani’s restaurant in West Broadway to Amaranth on the Upper East Side, Joe spent two invaluable years in the US developing his skills as a host.

In 2001, Joe returned home fresh with inspiration from abroad and landed the management role at Melbourne’s reputable Italian dining room, Il Bacaro. The new owners and the new environment uncovered bright opportunities and shortly after his appointment, Joe became an owner of the business which he still owns today.

His dedication to Il Bacaro brought the iconic Melbourne restaurant back to its former glory and year after year scored the restaurant ‘one hat’ in the coveted Age Good Food Guide Awards.

In 2005, whilst still at Il Bacaro, Mammone took over Sarti, a promising restaurant space situated above a small laneway just 50 metres down the road. Sarti, Joe’s most recent venture and probably his greatest challenge so far, had achieved its ‘one hat’ status in 2009 and again in 2010.

Joe’s talents as a restaurateur are vast and refined. He succeeds as a leader, an impeccable host and emerging as an industry success story. A steady ambition and always evolving, Mammone’s knack for spotting talent, pursuing goals and achieving the best from his resources has lead him to strong growth and promising business relationships.

With time and age both on his side, there’s still plenty more to come.