Starter

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STARTER - Mario Café
[stage 1: A rejected culture]

We start with the starter from the Mario cafe, which is founded in 1986 by two Italian-Australians. This is also one of the very first cafés opened in Fitzroy where many artists would like to visit. Its premium food and warm service have assisted Mario to have a strong relationship with all of its customers among which are mostly artists. The fame of the restaurant was initially spread through the words of mouth and then it became the first restaurant held an art salon in Melbourne. The idea of restaurant gallery was introduced by one of the founder. Till today, there always is a temporary art exhibition in Mario, which people can view and purchase their favorite piece of work. With its long history, Mario has witnessed the development of street art: from few illegal graffiti pieces to an important cultural to surround community. The growth of street art elaborated from a traditional point of view by Andrew, who has worked at Mario for 30 years, will be covered later in this article.

Near Mario Café, there are many street art works painted on the walls of different shops, which are presented in harmony. However, this would never happen in 10 years ago. Street arts used to be rejected and labeled as “low-brow”. Do you want to know the reason why people change their attitudes in the last decade? Are you curious about what Fitzroy was appeared in the late 80s? Are you interested about why Mario never serves Jerry Seinfeld? – it's a urban myth, another form of urban art. Explore more with Andrew while enjoying a cup of Marios’special blend coffee. All coffee beans in Mario are imported from South America, roasted in an Italian style giving really dark color and rich taste. This can fuel up your energy tank and keep you excited in the rest of tour.