Mar. 23, 2011 - Issue #805 : Urban Transportation
Deli D’Amore
Family puts its heart into it
Albert D'Amore moves with ease amidst the shelves and counters of his family's namesake deli. Decades ago, his father Bernardino left his natal village of Pofi, a sun-dappled hamlet in the hills southeast of Rome, and settled in Edmonton. A gregarious and congenial man, Bernardino worked in construction but dreamed of creating a hub for the city's Italian community. He scouted for a suitable parcel of land outside of perpetually busy Little Italy, purchased a corner lot in the mature neighbourhood of Calder, and commenced construction. Bernardino continued working in construction and simultaneously toiled for six years to create the structure that would become D'Amores Deli.
"It's our 33rd anniversary and we are still in the original building," remarks Albert. "We're doing renovations now. We've added a full commercial kitchen for catering."
Indeed, catering is one of many food-related service offered by D'Amores. "We began as a deli," Albert explains, "but we don't sell just cold cuts and sandwiches anymore."
D'Amores provides pasta, pizza and sandwiches to local school lunch programs, has a mobile unit to serve festivals and other large functions, and creates ready-to-serve meals that can be reheated for a speedy dinner. "It's cheaper than going to a restaurant," remarks Albert, "and all of our recipes are based on my mom's." Albert's widowed mother Anna, while technically retired, still rules the kitchen with expertise and pride.
Despite its present diversity of products, D'Amores relies on Italian sandwiches for much of its business. "My favourite version includes capocollo, mortadella, Genoa salami and provolone cheese," explains Albert. "We slice all of our cold cuts daily and get our meats from smaller producers. We've built relationships with these producers for many decades."
He notes that some customers come to D'Amores specifically for deli meats and that, over the years, their customer base has been fiercely loyal. "We see the same faces three or four times per week and with some of them we speak only Italian."
Albert maintains a strong connection to his parents' homeland. He speaks Italian fluently and has travelled to Italy many times. Many of D'Amores' products are imported from Italy, including the canned tomatoes used in their tomato sauce. "It's important to keep traditions alive," Albert emphasizes. He shuns the quick and easy route to food and adds, "We're going to do things the homestyle way even if it means getting up at 4 am"
The deli itself is a tradition for the D'Amore family now; a tradition hewn from six years of construction, generations of family recipes, and more than three decades of personal involvement in every aspect of running a small business. Albert notes that misconceptions persist regarding the ease of running such a venture and states, "It's funny, but some people think that [in a small business] you just work for a few hours every day and the money rolls in, but that's not the case at all." It's not the case by any stretch, and the business's bustling success scarcely begins to indicate the immensity of planning, cooking, serving and sheer hard work that has created a seemingly effortless and consistent excellence that is D'Amores Deli. V
Albert D'Amore
D'Amores Deli
12943 - 127 St, 780.455.5233
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Recipe:
Homemade Bruschetta
(Courtesy D'Amores Deli)
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved (mince after bread rub)
14 slices (about 3/4-inch thick) French bread
6 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 leaves fresh basil
Directions:
Rub cut side of garlic over one side of each slice of bread. Place bread garlic side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for five minutes on each side or until lightly browned. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, minced garlic, oil, minced basil, salt and pepper; let set for 20 minutes in the fridge. Spoon about two tablespoons onto each piece of toast. Top each with a basil leaf and presto, ready to serve. Note: you can adjust the amount of garlic depending on your taste buds. V
More info about D’Amores Deli →
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