PINO’S Dolce Vita at Kogarah really is a slice of heaven for lovers of traditional Italian smallgoods.
The store has been seducing fine food lovers since it opened as a traditional Italian butcher store in 1978.
Husband and wife team Pino and Pia Tomini Foresti recently expanded their store, and the once-poky butcher shop now houses a commercial kitchen (albeit decked out with domestic ovens), coffee bar, enormous communal dining table, glass-fronted prosciutto holding area and even a display of Vespas.
Cooking classes are offered by chef daughter Carla, and the Tomini Foresti boys also work in the shop.
A range of Italian-sourced olive oils, pastas and sauces are available, the type of products that you won’t find in supermarkets.
‘‘People are coming in, saying it reminds them of Italy,’’ Pia said.
She said all products such as salami and sausages were made in-store using free range pork and Taralga Springs beef.
‘‘Anything to do with meat is made here,’’ Mrs Tomini Foresti said.
The mini-product testers in The Hungry Mum household highly rated the off-the-bone ham and mild salami, while The Hungry Mum is hoping a much wished-for in-store wine bar will eventuate.
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