Summary

Cake box used for the traditional Italian panettone cake which was made by the Pagone family at their North Melbourne cake shops from the late 1950s to early 1960s. The Pagone family, who had been pastry cooks since the late 19th century, migrated to Australia in 1953, via Italy and Eritrea. They established two combination businesses (café/cake and pizza shop) which became the mainstay of many Italian and other southern European Melbourne communities for almost ten years.

Physical Description

Unassembled cardboard cake box with gold and blue components. Features one side with colour image of slices of panettone cake; top side with slot for handle, blue and gold background with Pagone/Panettone Italian Cake inscribed; another side with blue background, Panettone Italian Cake and list of ingredients; and 2 sides on blue background with company promotional text in English and Italian.

Significance

This item complements the Museum's collection relating to food retail and production, particularly regarding Italian community activity. It complements such collections as the Moccopan, La Tosca and Agostino packaging and labels collections. It demonstrates the importance of food culture (its production and consumption) in the settlement experiences of immigrants.

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