Di Rienzo: A favourite sandwich shop and grocery in Little Italy celebrates 50 years
As Paolo Di Rienzo gently stirs a pot of creamy Alfredo sauce in his busy commercial kitchen, he reflects on his family’s proud legacy.
“It’s going to be fifty years,” he smiles.
For half a century, Di Rienzo Grocery and Deli on Ottawa’s Beech St. in Little Italy has been a capital favourite; an eatery invented to satisfy the appetites of neighbourhood construction workers.
“We opened in 1973 and it was just a grocery store,” says Paolo.
“And then a little bit later, they were building the sewers. They shut Champagne Street. They shut Beech. So, we decided to cook for the workers and that’s how it started.”
Paolo Di Rienzo prepares an order of Fettucine Alfredo in the kitchen of his Little Italy store. (Joel Haslam CTV Ottawa)
Iole Di Rienzo was the family matriarch. She came to Canada with her husband and family in 1967.
Her magic touch for pasta and people was legendary.
“My mother used to get up very early in the morning. She would get stuff ready for my father and then start cooking,” says son, Paolo.
“She was very good to people, very friendly,” says eldest son, Gennaro DiRienzo.
“Everybody was like family to her.”
The late Iole Di Rienzo making homemade pasta. After opening a corner store in Little Italy, she began cooking pasta and making sandwiches for workers doing construction nearby. (Supplied)
Her six children always helped in the store and in the kitchen, serving delicious food to Di Rienzo’s valued customers.
“Lasagna, ravioli, rigatoni, manicotti, cannelloni you name it,” says Paolo.
And along with the sandwiches and hot food, are warm welcomes.
“I think that’s the secret,” says Gennaro.
“If you have a smile on your face, and you welcome people, people will come back.”
And they do.
Line-ups for the deli’s mouth-watering sandwiches are frequently out the door.
Loyal customers line up to order a Di Rienzo sandwich. (Joel Haslam CTV Ottawa)
“Everything is sliced fresh, and we put lots on it,” says Paolo.
“We don’t fool around,” he laughs.
Enzo Solazzo has been coming to DiRienzo since the store opened.
“I’ve had many, many sandwiches. Hundreds of sandwiches here,” he says.
“Once you eat here, there’s no way you’ll go back to anyone else,” he smiles.
“It’s amazing. You can’t go wrong. $8.50 for a sandwich? You can’t get that anywhere,” says Paolo’s nephew, Antonio Di Rienzo.
A Di Rienzo deli sandwich. “Everything is sliced fresh and we put lots on it. We don’t fool around,” says Paolo Di Rienzo. (Joel Haslam CTV Ottawa)
But Paolo Di Rienzo says he’s just running the business as his mother would want him to.
“We work very hard, we give the people what they want, and we’re not too greedy,” he says.
“It’s his baby,” says Carolee Dunn, Paolo’s wife, who sits at a dining room table going through company invoices.
“He works seven days a week, from seven o’clock in the morning until seven o’clock at night,” she says.
“He’s had tremendous support along the way from his family and his friends. They all want to help him because he wants to help them,” she says.
“He’s kind, generous and respects everyone, whether you’re a little kid going to school or a politician sitting in the Parliament buildings. He treats everyone the same.”
“I swear he’s the nicest person I know,” says Paolo’s nephew and store employee Antonio Di Rienzo.
“And he’s such a giver. If someone’s short a dollar, he’s like ‘it’s ok don’t worry get me next time. You go anywhere and no one is going to do that nowadays,” he says.
But Paolo Di Rienzo will.
After all, people have been making memories at his Little Italy shop for 50 years.
“This is probably the place where we stole our first chocolate bar,” says one customer.
“And it’s probably the place where we kissed our first girlfriend on the front steps. It’s an impressive place.”
It’s a taste of life many believe they can only get at Di Rienzo’s
“They just love people,” says Enzo Solazzo.
“And once you come here, you’ll always come back.”
And for their loyalty over 50 years, Paolo and his family say a heartfelt thanks.
“I just have to thank the community for what they’ve given us. Thank you to all the loyal customers. Thank you.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.