Authentic Italy approachable on Monroe
TOLEDO – Corporate consumer landscapes dominate most of the United States, whether it’s coffee, groceries or restaurants. Shoppers can expect, for the most part, the same selection and the same interactions at stores across the board. But there’s one Toledo business with four generations of experience delivering authentic products with a vintage approach.
SOFO Italian Market at 5400 Monroe Street, is the great-grandchild of Antonio Sofo, an Italian immigrant who saw an opportunity back in 1920s Toledo to supply the Italian community here with authentic food from Italy.
Since then, the business has expanded with three distribution centers, one in Ohio, another in Georgia and another in Texas, but headquartered here in Toledo, which hosts their only retail location.
“I am a native Italian,” said Tony Cardone, 64, of Petersburg, Mich., who often makes the 20-minute drive to continue the tradition of Italian cooking in the United States. “I was born there [Italy], grew up there and still have a lot of that tradition.”
“Going to the market everyday,” is part of the Italian tradition, he said, adding that, “your food is your local food,” but also that it’s becoming more difficult in America to get fresh food here.
That’s why Cardone is willing to make the 20-minute trip to get fresh meat, cheese and the Sicilian olives at SOFO.
Here customers have grown to expect high-quality imported Italian foods that aren’t as readily available in other grocery stores.
“This place is awesome,” said Carl Lewandowski, 64, Tecumseh, Mich., as he inspected various pieces of smoked Gouda cheese. “It may be a little pricey, but you pay for what you get.”
Seven years ago, Lewandowski was told about SOFO’s prosciutto, about which he said, “Damn, that stuff is good,” after trying it. Now the Lewandoskis make a point to grab any number of items, notably the bread and pizza.
“100% Italian means clean flour, no chemicals,” bragged Marcella Di Maria, a native Italian on staff with SOFO Foods, serving as their chef.
Di Maria’s job is wide ranging, but one of things she specializes in is sharing authentic Italian recipes for customers to recreate at home.
“I try always to make simple recipes to show people [that] with good ingredients you can make a great meal,” she said.
When Lewandowski heard about good prosciutto, he heard right according to Di Maria, who took special attention to pointing out the Italian brand name San Daniele prosciutto they had on hand.
“San Daniele is one of the best brands of prosciutto in Italy,” she said. Other items she wanted customers to know about included fresh mozzarella balls, gelato, and Sicilian-style bread crumbs. A Sicilian herself, Di Maria hails from the eastern side of the island, the city of Catania, and takes pride in the food she provides at SOFO’s Italian Market.
Joe Sofo Sr. originally opened the retail location at 5400 Monroe Street back in 1985, but most of SOFO is dominated by wholesale distribution. To this day, SOFO operates their warehouse on Waggoner Boulevard, and is headquartered at 4444 Bennett Road in Toledo.
