The big news on the Wollongong restaurant scene this week is that one of the city's most popular Italian restaurants, Cosa Nostra, is on the market.
After decades, cooking and serving meals in Wollongong, Cosa Nostra owners Neve and Giorgio Piras have decided it's time for a well-earned rest.
Their journey is a classic Wollongong migrant story. In Italy, Giorgio was a policeman and Neve an arts academic.
Migrating from Puglia in the early 1970s, like so many others, their life in the Illawarra started in the Fairy Meadow migrant hostel.
While Giorgio worked at Transfield, Neve's first experience working in the food business was nearly 50 years ago at Pizza Roma in Crown Street.
She opened her own pizza restaurant, Il Faro, in Kembla Street and operated it for a decade before selling and taking a long holiday visiting family and friends in Italy.
On her return, Neve worked at the Italian Centre in Stuart Street for seven years before buying her own pizzeria in lower Crown Street which they named Cosa Nostra.
They kept that name when they relocated to the restaurant's current site in Corrimal Street's busy dining strip 16 years ago.
Over the years, Neve, Giorgio and their son, Peter, have built a reputation for operating a welcoming family restaurant, serving high-quality Italian classics.
Neve says their most popular dishes are spaghetti marinara and veal milanese "because nobody makes it anymore".
The cosy 50-seater has so many stories to tell but perhaps the standout is son Peter's battle with leukaemia.
Peter has had a long-time interest in racehorses and his health was deteriorating when he became the part-owner of champion racehorse Redzel.
"Peter was very, very sick but that horse gave him a new life," Neve said. "Any chance to get to Sydney to visit the horse and Peter was there. He called Redzel his daughter."
Redzel became one of the most successful horses of the past decade, winning more than $16 million in prize money. In 2017 he was the inaugural winner of the world's richest turf race, The Everest, collecting first prize money of $5.8 million. The following year Redzel led all the way to win the second running of The Everest, collecting a $6 million purse.
"The money was wonderful, of course, but that horse meant so much more to Peter. It made a huge difference to his life," Neve said.
The restaurant still sells Redzel memorabilia, with money raised going to leukaemia, transplant and children's charities.
At 74, Neve says she and Giorgio, 78, have been thinking of selling up for some time.
"My life is here but it's time for a rest," Neve said. "It will be a very sad day when we finish. I love my customers. They're not customers, they're friends. Like a family."
Once the sale is finalised. Neve and Giorgio plan to visit Italy "one more time" and enjoy more time in their garden.
Cosa Nostra at 114 Corrimal Street, Wollongong has been listed for sale by Comelli.