EAT Magazine SEPT/OCT 2017_Victoria_56_Layout 1 9/8/17 1:59 PM Page 5
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FROM THE OLD WORLD TO THE NEW: OTTAVIO’S 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
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his September, Ottavio Italian Bakery and Delicatessen is celebrating its 20 year anniversary. Monica Pozzolo and Andrew Moyer opened Ottavio back in September of 1997 and have grown their business into one of the most treasured food locales in Victoria. However, in four years’ time the true anniversary will be celebrated – 2021 will mark 100 years of family lineage in the bakery and deli business.
The story of Ottavio, in fact, begins 1921 in the city of Torino, Italy. Monica’s mother Ubalda recounted the history of Pasticceria Fratelli Piana, a pâtisserie & café started by her father, Ovidio, and his brothers. Fratelli Piana served as a bakery, a café, a bar, a luncheonette, a catering company and a reception hall. “People would come in the morning before work for their coffee, espresso or cappuccino. Then they would come back for a lunch of sandwiches…they would celebrate weddings, communions, and baptisms in the hall”. The pasticceria still stands today and serves as the root of the story of the thriving family business. In 1978, Ubalda and her husband, Michele, moved to Victoria with her sister’s family and together established the Italian Bakery on Quadra St. The family tradition was to be carried on by Monica and Andrew. After gutting the little hair salon that sat on to 2000 block of Oak Bay Avenue, Ottavio Italian Bakery and Delicatessen opened in 1997. Immediately, the store became a Victoria favourite, with its tiny space consistently packed with customers. They started with a humble selection of baked goods, cheeses and coffee but quickly realized that the tiny store had a much larger potential. Today, Ottavio has become a Victoria institution known for its highly curated cheese selection and deli counter, fine Italian, French, Spanish, and local foodstuffs, excellent coffee, gelato and delicious baked goods. Over the past two decades Monica and Andrew have watched a community grow up around them. “Our customers built this business... we are feeding the great grandchildren of some of our first customers, that is satisfying… We work hard with good people and stick to the family model of business.”Just like Pasticceria Fratelli Piana, Ottavio has become a hub for the community where espresso is sipped before work, sandwiches noshed at lunch and celebrations marked with the special food they have lovingly provided. The feeling of the old world is made new again at Ottavio and it seems likely that this family tradition will hold strong. —by Jill Van Gyn
ANDREW MOYER & MONICA POZZOLO IN 1997
We're celebrating 20 years! Thank you to all our customers, staff, friends, and families.
2272 OAK BAY AVENUE (250) 592-4080 OTTAVIOVICTORIA.COM
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