Ciao Romano’s: Amherstburg Italian deli closes after 54 years
Article content
The doors of a beloved Amherstburg butcher shop and Italian deli closed for the last time on Sunday, ending a 54-year run as one of the town’s oldest family-owned businesses.
“It’s emotional,” said Claudio Mancini, owner of Romano’s Specialty Meats and Italian Deli. “It’s hard to let go but it’s time to slow down and create new memories with our family.”
Claudio’s late father, Pantaleone Mancini, opened the Sandwich Street South business in 1970. The family immigrated to Canada from Italy in 1967, first settling in Toronto before moving to Amherstburg.
Article content
Mancini said his father worked several jobs before opening the store, which is best known for its Italian-style shish kabobs and roasted porchetta — a family recipe passed down from their hometown of Lettomanopello, Italy.
“Even when he worked regular jobs, he always made sausages, porchetta and stuff like that,” Claudio said. “It was a passion of his.”
In 1983, Claudio and his wife, Anna Mancini, took over the family business, preserving its foundation of “hard work, dedication, and decades of family traditions and values.”
“It’s not easy work but this business is our home,” Anna told the Star. “Our children grew up in this store.”
When asked why the business isn’t being passed down to one of their children, the Mancini’s said the parents felt it was important for the children to pursue their own careers.
“It’s not that they don’t want to, the business is in their blood,” Claudio said. “It’s more about us. We want it better for them.
“The business came first with everything and that’s part of why it’s been so successful. Our main goal has always been to make the customer happy.”
Article content
The decision to close the business after 54 years was not an easy one, according to the couple, who shared the news of their retirement in a heartfelt social media post in July.
“While serving the Windsor-Essex community, we have valued ourselves upon the principles of integrity, respect, and pride,” read the post. “We are upholding these same principles as we announce our retirement and close our business that we have lovingly called home for so long.
“Romano’s has not been sold, rather, we are closing our doors to spend the remaining years to create memories with our family.”
In the final weeks before the business closed, the store was busier than ever, with twice the usual number of customers coming in to show their support, according to Anna.
“It’s been overwhelming,” Anna said. “Our community and our customers have become family. Romano’s has been a part of people’s families.
“That’s what we’re going to miss the most.”
Sunday was met with mixed emotions as the Mancinis opened Romano’s for the final time, welcoming a large crowd of customers, family members, and former employees to say their final goodbyes.
“We had a lot of our customers come in to say farewell,” Anna told the Star. “We had employees who worked for us 20 years ago stop by.
“There was a lot of happiness inside the store but when we shut doors on Sunday, we really couldn’t believe it.”
Share this article in your social network
link
