Located in the small suburb of Woolwich, Cucinetta has been the home of long lunches, date nights and special occasions for more than a decade.

The restaurant, well positioned near the Woolwich Lookout, offers a fine dining menu in a welcoming atmosphere; elegant but unpretentious.

Growing up around food in a southern Italian family, a career as a chef was probably inevitable for owner Vincenzo Mazzotta.

He started an apprenticeship in 1997 and worked at Fratelli Fresh in Parramatta and Ecco in Drummoyne before opening Cucinetta in 2006 at just 23 years old.

Having his own restaurant was “always the vision”, and the chef says he was lucky to find someone who entrusted him with the Woolwich Rd site.

The space is lovely, with light streaming into the long dining room and clear blinds that open in summer and provide warmth in winter offering views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and CBD skyline.

When asked whether he was ready to open his own restaurant at the time, Mazzotta said “you’re never really ready”.

“ … You just know,” he said.

“It’s like falling in love, you’ve got that feeling.”

Plenty of North Shore locals have fallen in love with Mazotta’s Italian menu, which features traditional dishes and classic flavours done well.

Highlights include light, fluffy gnocchi — the chef’s special — served on the day we visit with a gorgonzola sauce and figs, and a smoky Western Rock octopus followed by a white chocolate semifreddo.

Each dish arrives beautifully presented, many topped with micro herbs and unique baby vegetables sourced from Export Fresh, who chose Mazzotta as their Petite Bouche Chef of the Month for June.

The award recognises chefs’ creativity, and experimenting with new and seasonal produce is one of Mazzotta’s favourite parts of being a chef.

“It’s so artistic, it’s never boring, especially when you’ve got a passion,” he said.