
A Legen-dairy tale
We’re lifting the lid on the ice cream family who found themselves at the centre of a few scandals in their time. Giovanni Podesta established the Podesta Ice Cream Delicacy Company in Melbourne in 1880, shortly after emigrating from Italy. Eventually the business was moved to Sydney. He had three sons named John, Louis and Frank. Once his sons joined the business it became known as Podesta & Sons.
In the early 20th century, the Podesta family found themselves in the news on more than one occasion. Was it a series of bad luck or is there something more to the story?
When we researched this family in Trove, we discovered a confusing chain of names. There are multiple Louis, Frank and John Podestas in the family tree. See if you can keep track of whether we’re talking about one of the grandsons or their fathers.

Crime doesn’t pay
The first story starts with a G Podesta being fined £1 for obstructing the throughfare on Melbourne’s Flinders Lane with his ice cream cart. At the time The Herald alleged that Mr Podesta received this treatment because he was migrant rather than because of actual wrongdoing.

Now how does a coin lead to a warrant being issued for a 10-year-old girl?
In 1885 Louis Podesta made his way into the paper after a 10-year-old girl in Salvation Army uniform and her brother approached his stall. The girl, Maud Nicholls, asked if the vendor could exchange her coin for smaller change. Louis handed over a pound worth of silver without realising he’d been handed a Keep your Temper gambling token. A warrant was issued for Maud’s arrest over the incident. But Podesta eventually decided to drop the charges against the little girl.
Two years later Louis made his way into the paper again after being reported missing. A V. Redaelli was seeking the whereabouts of the 85-year-old Italian fruit and ice cream vendor.
Ice ice baby

In 1901 John Podesta faced charges of feloniously receiving 13 bottles of flavouring essences from The Elliot Bros. It’s believed he enlisted an errand boy named Ernest McKeown to take the goods from his competitor. When confronted by a detective Ernest took him to John’s house where the stolen goods were discovered.
Ernest plead guilty and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment which was suspended under a 12-month good behaviour bond. John also pleaded guilty and was fined £10, and £4 in costs. If he defaulted on this payment, he would have instead received a sentence of four months imprisonment.
In 1906 a labourer named Henry White was charged with fraudulently appropriating a gallon and a half of ice cream and two tins of wafers from the Podesta family. Henry was given the ice cream to sell as he had done on many occasions but this time he never returned with the money.

Five years later, in 1911, 17-year-old John Podesta was caught with stolen goods in his possession at the family ice cream shop on Rowe Street. John allegedly received the goods from 16-year-old Fredrick Clavey who was accused of breaking and entering another Sydney store. The goods included cigarettes, razors, opera glasses, pocketknives, football cases, a leather kit-bag, field glasses, sandown developers, punching ball bladders and postage stamps. John insisted that he “had only been given the goods to mind.”
Watch your wares

As the year struck 1908 Louis Podesta found himself the victim of another crime. The Evening News reported that William Smith allegedly stole a watch and 18 shillings and a sixpence while Louis slept in his hotel room. Louis was awoken by William pulling his gold watch out of his pocket. Smith was found guilty, and it was revealed that he had 20 prior convictions on his record.
In 1930 Louis Podesta made the papers again after being fined £20 for street betting. His brother Frank faced a similar charge, but it was withdrawn.
An unlucky strike

Workers of Podesta & Sons went on strike in 1932 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The company expected to make a roaring trade with 11,000 children attending the match. But instead, their sellers went on strike until their demands for a higher commission per sale were met. The sellers were banned from the grounds, so they climbed the fence to confront Frank about their demands. Eventually the majority reached a settlement and three of the ringleaders behind the strike were dismissed.

These are submitted plans from 1926 for the Podesta family factory on Gould (Goold) street, in Sydney’s Chippendale.
Something fishy
We tracked the Podesta family’s movements until the 1930s until they seem to have fallen off the radar. Their store doesn’t appear to be mentioned again after this time.
But, in 1946, Frank and Louis Podesta were mentioned in the papers again. Seven men were charged with stealing £700 worth of tinned salmon and sardines from Royal Navy Stores. Two of these men were bookmakers John and Frank Podesta. Are these the same Podesta’s that had an ice cream empire? It’s hard to say but it’s a thrilling adventure to discover more about the family.
We’ve enjoyed giving you the scoop on the Podesta family and exploring their stories. See what you can uncover about this family and if you can find out what happened to their ice cream business.