Chorney-Booth: Scozzafava’s Deli makes an Italian sandwich worth lining up for

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A sandwich can be a very personal thing; once you fall in love with a particular kind of sandwich, there is often no turning back. Nick Scozzafava’s pursuit of the perfect sandwich – in his estimation, an Italian-style hoagie – has affected not only the collective enthusiasm for Italian sandwiches here in Calgary but also the trajectory of his own life.

Scozzafava, who grew up in Niagara Falls but moved to Calgary several years ago to pursue a career as an electrician, was missing the tightly rolled Italian hoagies he used to eat almost daily after school as a teenager. Sure, there are a few good Italian sandwiches here in Calgary, but none quite replicated the taste and feel of what he knew from back home. After travelling to spots like Uncle Paulie’s Deli in Los Angeles – a sandwich shop combining serious Italian deli vibes and the skater culture Scozzafava was already a part of – he knew that if he wanted to regularly eat the sandwiches he craved so badly, he’d have to bring them to Calgary himself.

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Scozzafava started making sandwiches on a pop-up basis a couple of years ago, initially at Missy’s This That after meeting that bar’s owner Thomas Dahlgren at a wedding, with later events at Pizzaface. The response was overwhelming, with lineups forming around the block and heartbroken customers left behind when the hundreds of sandwiches he’d prepared were not enough. Scozzafava wondered if it was time to quit his electrician job and make the leap towards a permanent bricks-and-mortar shop – a risky decision for someone without any restaurant industry experience. But he knew his concept was strong and, buoyed with the mentorship from new friends from restaurants like Class Clown and Noble Pie, he took the plunge and started building (literally – this is where a background in the trades comes in handy) his own deli space.

The new Scozzafava’s Deli is on 17th Avenue S.W. just around the corner from Caffe Beano. Scozzafava hired the design firm Way of Normal to help him with the look and together they came up with a relatively restrained green and white tile counter for customers to order from, black and white checkerboard floors, and a few retro flourishes. Like the sandwiches themselves, the room is simple but flawless, with about 35 seats including tables, a bar wrapping around the kitchen, and stools facing out the front window.

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What makes a sandwich worthy of such a fervent following? Scozzafava’s only offers seven varieties ranging from an Italian combo with pesto, a pretty kicky Calabrian chili spread, deli meats, and big chunks of fior di latte ($16) to a hot chicken parm in marinara sauce with a healthy helping of basil ($16), with other fillings like eggplant, turkey pesto and meatballs on the menu. It’s not fancy, but Scozzafava goes the extra mile in terms of quality, flavour, and presentation, rolling each sandwich’s custom-made sesame bun into a tight torpedo style to ensure proper ingredient distribution and cutting them in half so moderate eaters can share or save their leftovers for later.

“We pile everything on there in extreme quantities,” he says. “I’ve kept the menu really tight because I want to do each sandwich as well as I can.”

The shop is also licensed, serving carefully curated wines, cans of beer, and cocktails as well as Peroni on tap, with plans to introduce a small non-sandwich bar bites menu to attract an evening crowd. It’s also fit with an espresso machine and offers cannoli for dessert.

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Scozzafava’s Deli is located at 1004 17th Ave. S.W. and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. onward. For more information, follow it on Instagram at @scozzafavasdeli.

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In other Italian deli news, the Lina’s Group just opened a full-service restaurant attached to its flagship location on Centre Street North. Lina’s Trattoria is a family-friendly Italian restaurant, sitting in the spot that most recently housed +39 Pizza (and Cibo and Scopa before that). Lina’s culinary director Giuseppe di Gennaro oversees the restaurant with veteran local chef Angelo Contrada, who was also involved with +39, taking the role of restaurant chef.

The room has been brightened up with soft light wood decor. The menu is, of course, full of Italian favourites, making the most of the premium Italian ingredients available next door. Look for beautifully prepared burrata, rich pastas, Italian-style steaks, and crispy pizzas. Lina’s Trattoria is located at 2220 Centre St N. For more information, visit inasmarket.com.

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Finally, over the past few years, Calgary has hosted a number of Christmas-themed pop-up bars, so it’s about time a similar Halloween-themed franchise came to town. Black Lagoon is a spooky cocktail program popping up in bars across North America and debuting in Calgary at Blind Tiger (also known as The Lounge at the District at Beltline, located at 227 11th Ave. S.W.) this month. Running from Oct. 10 to 31, the pop-up will feature expertly prepared Halloween-worthy cocktails served in fun glassware. For more information, visit blacklagoonpopup.com.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.

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