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Bottega Nicastro–A Family Affair
Spring/Summer 2002, Volume 4 Issue 1
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The shelves are packed high, the aisles are narrow, and there’s a friendly face around every corner. One of the most unique shopping experiences in the ByWard Market can be found at the Bottega Nicastro at 64 George Street.
Since 1995, the Bottega (Italian for shop or boutique) has been the ideal destination for those seeking quality gourmet products of all descriptions.
Owner Pat Nicastro has the business in his blood–from the age of 10 he worked in his father’s store, Nicastro’s on Merivale Road, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
And the tradition continues… “More than half the staff here are family, says Pat, “and a lot of them have been here since we opened.”
As have a lot of the customers. “We have a lot of regulars,” Pat laughs. “They’re people who work in the Market and they come in most days. On weekends, they bring their families in.”
Nicastro’s specialties are Italian gourmet products, but you’ll find other specialty foods form around the world. The staff I knowledgeable and can help you navigate around more than 200 types of cheeses and more than 100 types of olive oil (including one that’s aged 25 years and sells for a cool $200!).
If you can’t wait to get home to prepare a great feast, you can always duck in to grab a quick lunch at the popular snack bar at the rear of the shop. All the ingredients for the food prepared at the lunch counter come from the store itself.
“We prepare homestyle foods, things that we’re used to having for lunch ourselves,” Pat enthuses. “We’re used to this, but lots of people haven’t tried it yet.”
The Bottega Nicastro came to settle in the ByWard Market after being approached by Charlie Saso, whose family had run a store in the location since the turn of the century, “He told us that he was ready to retire and he wanted to see a good Italian store move in,” says Pat. “When we moved in, an antique dealer came in and bought everything. Everything was an antique.”
Now, seven years later, the store has almost outgrown the location. “Our clientele has grown tenfold (since we moved in),” confesses Pat. “We’ve got a great location but we’ll have to look at expanding.”
Pat also thinks the new residential projects being constructed in the Market area are very positive. “(The Byward Market) is a great community. Everybody knows everybody else. Tourists are great, abut we stay busy because of customers from the neighbourhood.”
By Jantine Van Kregten as published in “Marché”
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