Giovanni Pisano of Midland, who owned WA Terazzo Works, with his son Ben. Pic: David Baylis d447405c
Camera IconGiovanni Pisano of Midland, who owned WA Terazzo Works, with his son Ben. Pic: David Baylis d447405c Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Midland’s Italian heritage retained at Mexican eatery

Joel KellyMidland Kalamunda Reporter

A REMINDER of local Italian ingenuity will welcome guests at the new Zambrero restaurant franchise in Midland.

Tradesmen breathing new life into the historic store on Lloyd Street uncovered historic terrazzo tiles preserved above the building’s entrance.

The handmade tiles were still hanging from the days of WA Terrazzo Works, a thriving family business that opened in 1959 and closed in 1971.

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The building was a joinery before it was a tile factory.

Proprietor of WA Terrazzo Works Giovanni Pisano is now 93 and still lives in Midland.

He said he honed his tile manufacturing skills in his back yard and then made his own machines out of spare parts to produce the famous tiles.

At the time, he was one of the biggest manufacturers of terrazzo tiles in WA.

He said he was pleased to see the tiles remain part of Midland.

Zambrero Midland opens on Tuesday, December 8 and will give away 1000 free burritos from noon.

To read more about the giveaway, click here.