Vincenzo’s Mercato serves up foodwith a family touch

River Heights

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This article was published 01/05/2024 (550 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the opening of Vincenzo’s Mercato, River Heights residents have been treated to the taste of genuine Italian food.

Located at 1580 Taylor Ave., the grocery store, bakery, restaurant and café has something for everyone, served with a familial, in-house taste. It’s operated by the De Luca family, consisting of husband-and-wife Vincenzo and Daniela, and their daughters Juliana and Cristina, who are essentially taking the craft of homemade cooking with a family dynamic — something that they all grew up with — to a workplace setting.

“(Daniela) has been cooking since she was 10,” said Juliana De Luca Vassallo, who manages the store, while her mother is in charge of the menu.

“We were brought up in the food industry, and fell in love with food,” Juliana added.

There’s a chance you may recognize the De Luca name from De Luca’s Specialty Foods, known widely in the city for its homemade pizza dough, coffee, and more. Vincenzo worked at the Portage Avenue De Luca’s location for 33 years, but the Mercato means he has branched out on his own.

“My vision was, when they open this place up, was not only the grocery — for me, that was kind of the added bonus. But it was more about the prepared foods,” Vincenzo said. “We know people are so busy, and young families are always craving for a good homemade meal … what we’re doing here, right now, is making it a one-stop shop, where you can pick up your food, your dinner, and if you want to try making that pasta dish or something yourself a day or two later, you can get the ingredients to do that.”

The walls are lined with shelves, fridges, and freezers displaying a selection of deli meats, baked goods, sauces, and more. All of the food and meals are made in-house, except for some of the dainties, and ingredients are imported from Italy. Vincenzo’s Mercato also offers gluten-free options for dough, desserts, and more — something De Luca’s is already known for, Juliana said.

Pizza, and the panino portafoglio — a pizza-sandwich hybrid and customer favourite — are available every day, and the market also offers lunch specials from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., featuring a different protein each day.

Additionally, there’s a weekly dinner special every Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m., as well as catering, private events, and seasonal bundles. The market has already collaborated with three other local businesses — Bee Boyzz, Farmers and Son, and Crampton’s — to create a Mother’s Day gift box, containing honey, candles and cooking for $100.

“People are very happy and surprised when they walk in to find all this in here,” Vincenzo said. “All this homemade food in this hub and in their backyard.”

The location was a deliberate choice, he explained, saying he saw an opportunity to create a space for people to sit down and use as a central hub.

“The reason that I fell in love with this place is … we live in the area, we’re not far from here. I’ve been born and raised in River Heights all my life,” Vincenzo said. “I was driving by the mall (and I saw) the big, vacant premises, and it just kind of got the wheels turning in my head. What if the mall had some kind of aspect, not only to serve the mall but to serve the surrounding area? And it’s been a wonderful success.”

“We’re getting people from other areas of the city … asking if we can expand there,” Juliana added.

Right now, the most-asked question the family receives is “when did you open?” Vincenzo said he will focus on visual marketing to alert more people to the Mercato’s existence.

Nothing catches the eye like food, he said — “Who doesn’t like food?”

Vincenzo’s Mercato is open every day, but hours differ. For more information, visit vincenzosmercato.ca