New local taste of Italy Family-run Vincenzo’s Mercato enters market: ‘My dream was to have my own location’ By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 2:07 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 25, 2024

Quietly, two chefs cook near a canal in Italy, olive oil at the ready.

If they could look out beyond the TV screen they occupied, they’d see Winnipeg’s version of Italy — or at least its newest market.

Part of the family behind De Luca’s gourmet grocery store has branched off and started its own venture: Vincenzo’s Mercato.

“My dream was to have my own location,” said company namesake Vincenzo De Luca, sitting with his wife and daughters at one of the patio-esque tables inside their new business, near the television.

The lunch rush wouldn’t come for another couple hours; still, focaccia sandwiches and mini cheesecakes were displayed in counters.

A gym once occupied 30-1580 Taylor Ave. Now, Vincenzo’s Mercato customers walk aisles laden with pasta, cheese and homemade sauces. Water no longer pours from locker room showers — instead, wine pours at the market’s coffee bar and olive oil drizzles in the kitchen. A café merges into grocery and deli areas.

“Everything is scratch-made in house — all our sauces, our dough, everything.”–Vincenzo De Luca

“We’re very happy with what we have accomplished here,” De Luca, 54, said in a recent interview.

He’s three months into operating the market. It comes after 33 years spent at the De Luca’s location on Portage Avenue.

Already, customers are asking for a Vincenzo’s Mercato location near them (and far from the River Heights location). Patrons have travelled from North Kildonan, East St. Paul and Brandon, according to Vincenzo’s daughters.

“We’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, we’ve been open for three months — it hasn’t been long,’” said Cristina De Luca, who runs Vincenzo’s Mercato social media and marketing.

Another location isn’t off the table, it’s just too soon, the family said.

Cristina had a vision for the bare space her family acquired last summer: an authentic Italian market like those in Tuscany.

There’s an olive tree near the door; tiles peppering counters have a Tuscan feel. Roughly 15 people work behind the counters or on the floor. Many of them are family, Vincenzo De Luca noted.

His daughter, Juliana De Luca Vassallo, manages the shop; his wife, Daniela De Luca, masterminds the menu. Lately, the $15 panino portafoglio — which translates to “wallet sandwich” — has taken off.

“I’m very picky about how I make things,” Daniela declared. “I just want everything to turn out to perfection.”

She’s working to create a gluten-free pizza crust. She passes her pizza recipes to Charlie Cuda, the in-house pizza chef who’s been friends with Vincenzo for nearly 50 years. They both went to Grant Park High School, Cuda reminisced.

“Everything is scratch-made in house — all our sauces, our dough, everything,” he explained.

Vincenzo’s Mercato is less than two kilometres away from Piazza De Nardi, a well-established Italian market on Taylor Avenue. The new venture is much smaller — roughly 2,400 square feet, including the kitchen.

De Luca didn’t express concern over competition: “I believe that there’s enough business for everyone, and we just have found our niche in this area,” he said.

Tom De Nardi, whose family owns Piazza De Nardi, celebrated Vincenzo Mercato’s arrival. He is president of Mondo Foods Company, a wholesaler distributing food to shops and restaurants. Vincenzo De Luca is an “excellent” long-time customer, De Nardi said.

“There’s lots of room in the sandbox,” he stated. “At the end of the day, we’re all trying to promote healthy food of a Mediterranean descent.”

Vincenzo’s Mercato sources products often not found in big box retailers; it’s how it stays competitive, ownership says.

It has customers like Vivian Campos popping in for prepared lunches. This day, the Pawsitive Animal Hospital employee grabs a sandwich before returning to work.

“I love it,” Campos said of Vincenzo’s Mercato, adding she’s skipped lunch in the past because there’s been nothing close by.

Michele Ashe, a worker at nearby retailer Love Nest, called the market “a fabulous family-run business.”

Vincenzo’s Mercato has launched its own catering arm and hosts private events in its café. It serves dinner every Friday.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com