Le Garde Manger Italien

Comforting and flavourful, Italian cuisine prepared at home deserves the best ingredients and aromatics in order to do il bel paese justice. Just ask Steve Marcone, the fine gourmet behind Garde-Manger Italien, the Monkland Avenue boutique that specializes in Italian food. He swears by only the best ingredients when it comes to cooking his native land’s traditional cuisine.

“Our priority is to know our products inside out, so we can advise our customers,” says Steve. “Italian food is a lot like wine: you have to know and understand each ingredient to combine them into the best recipes,” he explains. “Take olive oils for example: some are appropriate for fish, while others are excellent to make a risotto. To create a unique and delicious dish, you must know these differences, and that’s what we do here. We’re obsessively educated about our assortment, so that we can educate our shoppers in turn.”

Canned tomatoes, quality pastas, tapenades, pestos, oils, vinegars, fine cheeses; you name it, and as long as it’s Italian, Garde-Manger has it as a stand-alone ingredient or as part of a tasty prepared dish. “Our meatballs, stuffed bell peppers, lasagnas and Italian sauces are very popular, as are our sandwiches, which you can enjoy next door at Café de Mercanti,” says Steve.