Plett shark bite victim Kimon Bisogno leaves a legacy of love in Observatory

Flowers and notes are left for Kimon Bisogno (39) at Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, Cape Town on 27 September 2022. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

By Victoria O’Regan

27 Sep 2022

There has been an outpouring of tributes for 39-year-old community activist and Cape Town restaurateur Kimon Bisogno who died after being bitten by a shark at the weekend.

Kimon Bisogno, co-owner of Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, was lauded for her community activism. Her death has sent shockwaves through the Observatory community, which remembers her for her energy and compassion for others.

Kimon Bisogno. (Photo: Facebook)

Bisogno was killed by a shark at Plettenberg Bay on Sunday morning, less than three months after a fatal attack occurred in the area in June.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Cape Town woman killed in Sunday morning Plettenberg Bay shark attack”

Bitou Municipality and the National Sea Rescue Institute appealed to people to be cautious along the Plettenberg Bay and Southern Cape coastline. The municipality said beaches in Plettenberg Bay had been closed after the incident.

plett shark attack A tribute to Kimon Bisogno (39) placed at Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, Cape Town, on 27 September 2022. (Photo: Supplied)

News of Bisogno’s death sparked an outpouring of tributes on social media. When Daily Maverick visited Ferdinando’s Pizza, which Bisogno co-owned with her partner Diego Milesi, in Observatory on Tuesday, bouquets of flowers had been placed outside the restaurant.

Organisations including Ndifuna Ukwazi, Ladles of Love and Souper Troopers also paid tribute to the local activist.

Ladles of Love founder Danny Diliberto told Daily Maverick that Bisogno lived her life with passion and energy, and would be sorely missed in the community.

“When I started Ladles of Love in 2014, Kimon would regularly volunteer at our soup kitchens and would also sometimes bring freshly baked bread which her husband, Diego, baked in his pizza oven, and which we served to the homeless at our soup kitchens,” Diliberto told Daily Maverick.

“She was passionate about living life to the fullest… The time that I did spend with her, she was always laughing, always smiling, always positive,” he said.

shark attack Flowers are delivered for Kimon Bisogno (39) at Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, Cape Town, on 27 September 2022. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

A few years after Ladles of Love began, Bisogno decided to start her own “soup” kitchen with a twist. With her close friend and co-founder Dani Saporetti, Bisogno started Obs Pasta Kitchen in 2017. The organisation serves homemade pasta to homeless people on Wednesdays.

“It’s still every Wednesday… I just have to gather the strength tomorrow and every other Wednesday,” Saporetti said, fighting back tears.

Saporetti and Bisogno met about five years ago while on a meditation course. Speaking to Daily Maverick on Tuesday about Bisogno and the beginnings of Obs Pasta Kitchen, Saporetti said her co-founder was very aware of the needs of the homeless community in Observatory and, with Ferdinandos restaurant at her disposal, the pair decided that, rather than being a soup kitchen, the initiative could be a pasta kitchen.

plett shark attack Flowers, candles and notes are displayed for Kimon Bisogno (39) at Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, Cape Town, on 27 September 2022. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

“We got started where we could, and that was feeding outside the front of the restaurant… cooking upstairs in their kitchen,” said Saporetti.

Shortly after, the feeding scheme was invited to use the hall at St Michael and All Angels, in Observatory.

“That church hall was where we started making something very special, which is a sit-down meal,” said Saporetti, adding that Obs Pasta Kitchen would feed between 60 and 80 people a week.

“The Obs Pasta Kitchen got started with the message of ‘no one eats alone’ – it’s not just about the food, it’s about the conversation, [and] the upliftment,” she said.

Speaking about Bisogno’s involvement in the community, Saporetti said: “She was everywhere, all at once. She touched so many people in so many different ways… she was so full of passion and energy.”

plett shark attack Flowers and notes are left for Kimon Bisogno (39) at Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, Cape Town on 27 September 2022. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

Saporetti said Bisogno was clear that the Obs Pasta Kitchen needed to continue “long after she was gone”.

When the pandemic began, and Obs Pasta Kitchen was forced to close its communal dining area, the organisation had approached Diliberto for assistance. He offered Ladles of Love’s kitchen in Roeland Street.

“We’re behind Obs Pasta Kitchen all the way… We’ve been with them since Covid began and as long as they continue, we’ll continue with them,” said Diliberto. DM

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