Paesano Foods - the market built by vacuum cleaners

Perhaps you too had a good laugh if you heard the Paesano ads on the radio. The “Paesano Man” jingle was decidedly corny but all in good fun. It got your attention and reminded one that a trip to Paesano’s was in order to buy some sausages or marinated steak “spiced up for free.”

It was the type of advertising that Rico “The Sausage King” who started Paesano’s would probably approve of – reminiscent of his attention-getting trick of placing signs upside down in the windows to catch one’s eye when driving by.

It was this kind of creative thinking that drove the success of the market’s founder – Enrico Ianni-Palarchio. Rico had experienced a less than ideal childhood in Italy, but this adversity seemed to drive his later success.

Rico was born Sept. 8, 1935, in Compora San Giovanni, Commune di Amantea, Cosenza, Italy.

He began his working life at the tender age of eight as a tailor’s apprentice, but this opportunity was soon cut short by the Second World War. At nine years old, U.S. ships appeared in the harbour to oppose the German forces with cannons on the hillside.

Their village was unprotected between the two and Enrico recounted in the book, Forks in the Road by Nadine Robinson, that his mother Grazia chose the strongest part of the house - the doorway arches - to shield the children when the whistling of shells would begin.

Fearing for their lives, the whole family would begin an arduous journey of 25 km to get to the community of Acqua Fredda where there was some safety. Getting there involved a perilous journey up a mountain with seven children to keep quiet, so they could sneak past the German forces. As they crawled away they could hear houses being ransacked in the village below.

They took shelter in a cave. Rico’s parents attempted to make it seem like they were just on a camping trip, but Rico was old enough to know they were still in a great deal of danger. They had gotten further away from warfare but could still feel the bombs hitting the mountain and starvation was a very real threat.

Eventually, the war abated and the family was able to return to their village. They had survived the war but the village itself was devastated, and the hardship was not to end for Rico just yet.

At the age of 12, Rico’s father was stricken with malaria and young Rico now had a family of nine to help provide for.

Drive, creativity and sheer necessity spurred on his business pursuits. He started out by using his tailoring skills to make long underwear and then suits.

He also began to learn about the meat business from his uncle Luigi who owned a butcher shop. Next came some cooking jobs, a surveying position, then selling fertilizer and propane.

He also started selling Singer sewing machines and quickly became a successful, albeit young, salesman.

He soon met a beautiful young woman who caught his eye and would become his wife. Before Teresina Buffone, his only love was his motorcycle. But he quickly sold his first love to pay for the wedding.

Teresina’s father was already in Canada and was able to register his children as Canadian citizens. Thanks to the Buffone family, Rico decided to try his luck in Canada too.

After leaving Naples on April 26 1959 their first stop was Montreal. Finding the city too big, Rico decided to try Sault Ste. Marie and live with Teresina’s family. Rico wanted to be somewhere small enough to make a name for himself.

Rico was ambitious but success in Canada was going to take some time and hard work. He first landed a job at Roddis Lumber which was heavy physical labour.

Then an opportunity to become a butcher’s apprentice at Palace Meat Market for Jack Monaldi presented itself. He also started hawking Electrolux vacuums in the evening. His next source of employment was for Ray Morgan at Morgan’s Lucky Dollar Grocery Store on Second Line and Goulais Avenue. Rico put in very long days but managed to get the money together to buy 301 Wellington Street West which had a lot attached which would be the future home of the butcher shop.

In the years 1963 and 1964, Rico succeeded in selling an astonishing 246 vacuum cleaners, netting him $50,000 and top salesman honours from Electrolux. It was just the capital he needed to make his dream a reality. Construction of the butcher shop began in earnest in 1964.

As Rico described in his biography, Forks in the Road, not everyone was as convinced he could realize his dreams.

“I wanted it to be the nicest one ever, with gleaming tile everywhere. People said I was crazy. Others said good luck but they sounded malicious. One guy’s comment fueled me for the next few years," he said, 'You won’t make it – your kids will starve,' people told him, but Rico persevered.

He was not afraid of failure and a bit of risk financially paled in comparison to the risks he had faced in Italy during the war.

The butcher shop opened Nov. 21, 1965, at 305 Wellington Street West and underwent a series of name changes – first, Rico’s Meats, then Steelton Meats, before acquiring the existing name of Paesano Foods.

Rico didn’t stop at one business. In 1973 he had four: Paesano Foods, a restaurant on Spring Street, a catering business behind the restaurant and a pastry and ice cream shop. In 1981 he was up to six businesses operating simultaneously. Rico provided jobs to over 200 people at the height of his success.

Paesano Foods celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2015. It is now owned by Eugene (Gigi) Palarchio who is Rico’s son.

Gigi began working in the store as a child and hopes to see the store reach its 75th Anniversary. 

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here.