An Easter Interview 

Photo: Ingrid and Tim  with all the ex-CPS students (including their son Will) who currently work at Lizzy's.

On Friday, 24 March, I went up to Lizzy’s Chocolates with the wonderful Sandra from the PFA, and one of our incredible School Leaders, Jasmine, to interview the owner of Lizzy’s, Ingrid.  

Every year for the Easter Raffle, Ingrid donates the largest prize at the raffle, the 4.5kg giant Easter egg.  Lizzy’s style of chocolate is a delicious and traditional Belgium chocolate. It was very interesting getting to know her and how she grew up, and how her family grew the legendary chocolate store.

Here’s a transcript of the interview:

Eliza: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today, I know Easter is your busiest time of year. And happy fortieth anniversary! (The store was opened in 1983)

Ingrid: Oh, thank you! 

E: Why did your family choose Carnegie to set up Lizzy’s?

I: Ok, so you made me think about this. So my dad had Keith’s Cakes in Brighton, and the local fruiter from Brighton opened up down here in Carnegie, so when Dad sold in Brighton I remember coming here for dinner and Dad sitting down and talking with the fruiter who had opened up a pizza shop and they were talking about the community and the area and for some reason my dad decided that this was the right place to start.

E: What makes your chocolate the best around?

I: I think that we have stuck to our traditional chocolates, so we still do the traditional Belgium style chocolates, not the very highly coloured truffles and things that are happening nowadays. We’ve just stuck with our traditional ones, so very European flavours. We’ve pivoted and done different flavours, but generally we keep to the good old-fashioned ones.

E: Did you or any members of your family go to Carnegie Primary School, and what is your favourite memory from Carnegie if you did go?

I: My son went and he thought the best thing about Carnegie Primary was the teachers. I think the school itself is a really good school and there’s a great community feel. I think  everyone’s very welcoming, so I think that’s a part of what Carnegie’s community is really about.

E: What is the key to making such good chocolate and what is the best part of being a chocolatier?

The best part is that you can eat as much chocolate as you want, which can also be the worst part. But it’s very satisfying when it all works well because chocolate’s not easy to work with. So we have to temper it and we have to do a lot of different steps to make it actually manageable. So when you’ve got all of those steps in line, and it all works really well it’s quite satisfying when you de-mould and you get the final product.

E: And what’s the key to making such good chocolate? 

I suppose the important thing, or the one thing that my dad always instilled in us is to never skimp. So don’t go to cheaper products, don’t go to cheaper ingredients, always have good quality fresh ingredients. So we still always use good Belgium chocolate, and good liquors and good creams and butters and so I think sometimes it’s the ingredients. 

E: So, Sandra also has some questions for you.

 Sandra: Ingrid, you have been living in the area for many years, your children left CPS more that ten years ago and still you choose to be part of the primary school community, with the paramount or the biggest donation of the magnificent 4.5 kg magical Easter egg. Please share with us how you feel about still being so connected with the school and the community and what it brings to you?

I: I think it is about that, it is pretty much staying a part of the community that we really enjoy. And I think that was really evident through covid when a lot of the community really supported us, so we  felt too that school is such an important part of society, that’s where all our kids grow up, and it’s important to have great teachers and to support them. So we just like to make sure we do our part as well and support the community, because they support us.

S: And how do you feel, what does that bring you?

I: Oh! Great joy, yeah, great joy. 

E: Tell us about how you celebrate Easter, does it involve any particular traditions by your parents?

I: No, I think a lot of the traditions we have now have been just formed here in Australia. But it’s very much, for a lot of people all about family, so for us it is a big family get together, normally up in the Dandenongs and because it’s such a beautiful place there we have a huge Easter egg hunt.

S: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I: Forty years in this community has been an important part of who we are as a business. People have tried to entice us to move to different areas but we like the fact that it’s traditional, it’s family, it’s close to home. It’s more of a community base and it’s not all about just profit, it’s about our lifestyle.

S: And you’ve been in the same shop for 40 years.

I: Yep, same shop. It’s nice now because I’ve got my sister who is working with us and we were both the Saturday morning girls, when we were teenagers. It’s funny for her to come back now and help me at times I need it. She said to me it's quite nostalgic and we get so many people walk in and tell us their story of the shop.

S: You’re a part of their memories and a big part of Carnegie?

I: Yes, we were there for their weddings, we were there for their children’s births, we were there for anniversaries and birthdays.

A big thank you to Ingrid for letting us interview her and for her donation, which is always very appreciated. And thank you to Sandra and the PFA for organising this very special experience.