Who We Are
Vincenzo’s is owned and operated by
brothers, Tony and Carmine Caccioppoli, 2nd generation Caccioppoli’s in Canada.
It has been almost 4 decades since our father, Vincenzo Caccioppoli and our mother
Rita, opened up a small business in our home on Bridgeport Road, Waterloo, called:
Italian Canadian Foods. In 1966, because of our father’s longing and passion for
the fine foods of his homeland, he started selling various foods primarily to the
small Italian Community in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Our father’s goal was to
keep prices low and provide excellent customer service. It wasn’t long before word
spread about the small store, and our father was soon bringing in many new foods
from other Mediterranean countries for his new customers.
Today we are located at 740 Belmont Ave. in Kitchener and in honour of our father,
the business was renamed in 1992 to: Vincenzo’s Fine Foods.
We are known locally for having the best selection of olive oil, balsamic vinegar,
pasta, olives, cheese and other Mediterranean specialties, along with our own home
made products. At Vincenzo's, we are committed to using only the best
ingredients for the products made in our kitchen and to cooking them just like the
artigiani back in Italy!
Our selection of imported foods has changed and grown over the past 4 decades,
but our commitment to quality has been constant. As in the tradition of our
parents, we continue to offer the finest gourmet foods from Italy and the
Mediterranean, at reasonable prices, with excellent service.
We are fanatical about both quality and authenticity and dedicated to sharing our
passion for great food with you!
Buon Appetito!
Tony and Carmine Caccioppoli
In search of a
better life...
What
was he thinking of that day in the summer of 1951 as he stood
motionless looking out over the Gulf of Naples? With the warm and
passionate rays of "O Sole Mio" guiding him up the ramp
and onto the deck of the great ship," The Argentina."
Was he apprehensive as he looked out and waved "Arrivaderci"
to his sacred Vesuvio and to his family that had gathered on the
shore to bid farewell to a brave son and soldier? Was he fearful of
venturing out to the new world as had Cristopher Colombus, a native
son or simply afraid of remaining in an impoverished post war Italy
with no future in view. Staring out to shore, did he perhaps
memorize every expression on the faces of his beloved "Napolitani"
(natives of Napoli), a people full of love, a zest for life and a
passion for singing.
As the ship pulled out of the Gulf of Naples and the Vesuvio faded
away to a mere shadow in the distance , did he have second thoughts
of going away and leaving his beloved land, "Bella Napoli".
Did he look out to sea and break out into song, singing a
classic Neapolitan love song, full of feeling, longing for their
country, "Italia Mia" and longing for "la bella
vita"? Maybe he was thinking about the trees in America, the ones that
grew money, so the old folks of his city,
Castellammare Di Stabia believed.
The answers to these questions
allow us to understand the very essence of the dilemma, many Italian
immigrants faced as they made the decision to leave their homeland
and begin the long journey to a world where the streets were paved
with gold.
On August 15, 1951 my father Vincenzo Caccioppoli arrived at a
very tiny train station in New Hamburg, Ontario after a 14-day
journey across the Atlantic. He carried his only worldly possessions
in a small suitcase. He was greeted with joy by his sister Emilia
and her husband, George Vujovic who had immigrated to New Hamburg a
year early, as part of a post war recruitment of immigrants in a
flourishing post war world. My mother, Rita Caiazzo-Caccioppoli,
would arrive a year later. A chain reaction of sponsoring relatives
soon populated the little hamlet on the Nith River with quite a
substantial population of Italian immigrants by 1960.
Upon setting foot in Canada, his world of song, sun and family
would soon be replaced by long cold winters and feelings of
loneliness. A real culture shock for anyone. New Hamburg in 1951 was
home to only a handful of Italian immigrants.
The first couple years were difficult as my parents struggled
with the language, the task of adapting to the Canadian way of life
and the constant wonderment of whether or not they made the right
decision.
My only regret is that I never recorded all the stories of my
parents first years in Canada. I remember a few stories that were
repeatedly told by my father. My favourite, by far, was the one about
the "For Sale" signs (keeping in mind that in Italian the
word "sale" means "salt").
My father would often tell us about his first shopping
experiences in Canada. Not understanding the language, he would see
the signs "SALE" (to him, salt) everywhere, and he would
ask why so many shops sold "SALT" in Canada. Whether it was a
woman's clothing store or a hardware store, there was salt
everywhere! My father figured that salt was in abundance here,
unlike the days of Marco Polo sailing off to the Orient in search of
spices. He soon realised that "Sale" had nothing to do
with, salt.
Vincenzo Caccioppoli worked hard and long hours during those
first few years in Canada, working at the factory in New Hamburg
during the day and the hot tobacco fields in Simcoe during the
evenings and weekends. However, he was always looking for a better
life! Having settled down in a farming community he decided to
purchase a small farm and try his luck at farming. What a disaster
that was! The cow did not come with milking instructions, the price
of chickens dropped to 2 ¢ a pound and ploughing the field was
impossible without the proper machinery. Vincenzo realised that
farming was not for him and sold the farm in 1962.
The
Inspiration...
Another challenge for my father and mother in the mid 1950's was
finding authentic Italian food. The only place around the
Waterloo County area, was the Italian food store in Kitchener,
Forte's Grocery Store on Queen Street. For the next ten years, my
parents would drive to this store, where they and other homesick
Italian immigrants could purchase the many delicacies from back
home. It was a place where they would meet others from their
homeland, mingle and reminisce of their Italy. It was during those
trips to that small store, the seed was planted in my father's head,
to perhaps one day open up a store of his own, where he could preach
the word about all the culinary specialties his culture has to
offer.
My father often spoke about his early days in Canada, recalling
how there was this real sense of community amongst those early
Italian immigrants in Waterloo County. Soccer teams, lawn bowling
and bocci tournaments, spaghetti suppers at the church, picnics,
dances with Italian bands from Toronto or Hamilton. Though it was
only in early 1962 that the idea to form an Italian club was
discussed, those early immigrants found their own ways to maintain
the Italian culture.
In 1963, my father was offered an opportunity to return to his
hometown in Italy. He was promised a managerial position in the
Thermal Bath Spa and Tourist Centre in Castellammare di Stabia.
Knowing some English by now, the job opportunity seemed so perfect
that my parents packed up 4 young children, sold all their
possessions and sailed back to Italy, Thanksgiving Weekend, 1963.
Day by day my father waited patiently as this perfect job never
materialised. Money was running scarce and my father soon decided he
could not wait any longer. Once again, he packed up his family and
returned to Canada, April 1964. Canada was home to his children and
now home to him and my mother. Realizing this now, this was the real
catalyst in convincing my parents to obtain their Canadian
citizenship in 1965.
The
Bridgeport Years...
 |
Coming to the realization that
Canada was now their home forever, my father began plans to
tackle his real dream. So in 1967, he purchased a house on
Bridgeport Road in Waterloo and put up a sign that read
"Italian Canadian Foods". Our living room was
converted into a store and there was not a lot of space left
for a family of 7 people. My mother Rita ran the store during the
day, with a new baby, Carmine, by the cash register. My father continued
to work at his factory job during the day. They made many
sacrifices, however, my father always insisted that some day
all our hard work would pay off.
Slowly, the Italian people began to make weekly trips to
this little cultural meeting spot. My father was in his
glory because he could now offer his customers better prices
and a better selection of Italian food.
|
He
would make weekly trips to Toronto, seeking out the freshest Mediterranean
fruits and vegetables. We even had fresh fish from Boston flown in
at Christmas and chocolate Easter eggs from Italy.
He would soon set up a very simple credit system to help those
families who were in need. He would simply take their name, give
them the groceries and ask them to pay what they could when they
could. For over 25 years this system worked and my father never lost
a penny. He worked very long hours and the store was always open. I
remember one Christmas Eve, 1971 my father received a phone call at
11:00 pm. just as we were heading off to mass. Within a few minutes
we heard a knock on our back door and very grateful mother stood
there crying and thanking us. My father brought out a bottle of
aspirin for her sick child. But if you ask any customer what they
remember the most from those early days, it's that slice of
mortadella meat my that my father would give out to the children, as
they stood patiently waiting, watching the slicing machine.
By the early 1990's, the small Italian store was growing and
business was good! The small brick house was not adequate to
house a small fresh pasta business and a busy grocery store. So in 1990
plans were discussed to relocate to a bigger property with his two
sons Tony and Carmine taking over the business. My father's hard
work had paid off. It was now time for him to rest and enjoy life.
In 1992, May 13th, my father passed away after a short fight with
cancer. Shortly before his death my brothers wheeled him into a new
and bigger location that was renamed Vincenzo's in his
honour.
Now 30 years later the business is still in operation at the
location in Kitchener. What would he say if he could see this
flourishing delicatessen and pasta company today at the turn of the
century?
If you visit Vincenzo's today you will be greeted by
Carla, his granddaughter, and his daughter-in-law Pat. Cleo and
Mary, the two other daughters-in-law also help out their husbands in
the store when necessary. Carmine, who spent his toddler years
behind the counter with his mother , now runs the store with his
brother Tony. Umberto (Bert), my brother assists with the pasta
manufacturing. My sister (Italia) and myself (Lucianna), who worked
in the store for over 15 years, still pop in to shop and visit with
the lifelong costumers we meet. Rita my mother, now retired, is
still in touch with the family store through her regular phone
calls. The 3 person staff of 1967 has now grown to a staff of 35.
Many of the staff working at Vincenzo's shopped at the store
many years ago, as young children with their parents.
Vincenzo's today displays a wall
of old picture postcards of Napoli, Italy. They serve as a reminder
of our roots, transplanted to Canada almost 50 years ago.
Right next to these postcards hangs a large photograph of my father,
Vincenzo Caccioppoli. As his smiling face looks down over a second
generation operated family business, this once poor immigrant would
be proud to know that his dream lives on and that his roots still
flourish and continue to grow, here with his family.
