Fifty years of gelato at Nucci’s

Not everyone wants to take over the family business, but for Maria Pepe, it’s been an honour to carry on the legacy her family started with Nucci’s Gelati.

The Italian restaurant will celebrate 50 years of feeding the Corydon community on June 27 and 28 after Pepe’s parents opened it in 1976.

Pepe, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Michael, said her parents were the first to bring gelato to Winnipeg when they opened in the 1970s, starting with four flavours: lemon bean, pistachio, amaretto and chocolate.

Over the 50 years they’ve added 70 flavours including coconut, mango melon and raspberry, but still keep the flavours that started it all.

“We’re still honouring the legacy of my parents and the history of it with a combination of Italian fruit,” said Pepe.

They’re also celebrating 10 years of their lunch menu which offers Italian food made completely fresh in the kitchen.

Pepe said she loves being able to take care of people and share part of her culture.

“I love being Italian. I love my heritage. I love my culture,” she said. “We welcome everybody with open arms, whether they’re having a gelato, a coffee or lunch I just want them to feel welcome, like they’re coming into our home.”

They have many regulars who come for lunch, and even when they move out of the city, they make sure to stop at the restaurant when they come back to visit, she said.

“It’s like being home, and it makes you feel like you’re in Italy,” said Hortense Hodge, as she ate with friends Gary Frain and Keith Maguire.

Hodge has come with friends more times than she can count and has invited people travelling from London and Australia who now love it and insist on coming back each time they visit.

Hodge said she will be at the celebration next week, which will have face painting, and opportunities to win prizes.

Nucci’s will also serve different menu items such as pizza and homemade Italian sausages. The first 50 people who stop in will get a free two-by-two container of lemon gelato to take home.

“I’m very happy they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary,” said Katia von Stackelberg, executive director of Corydon Avenue BIZ. “We’re looking forward to the celebration and we’ll celebrate with them.”

She said they’re happy the business is doing its celebration just before Corydon Avenue will start closing to vehicular traffic on Sundays, starting July 5.

She said she’s received only positive feedback from customers.

People can attend the celebration between noon and 6 p.m. on both days.

tiago.resko@freepress.mb.ca