Enzo’s Italian Market in Stallings takes you on a ‘foodie trip to Italy’
%20Enzos%20owner,%20kitchen%20manager.jpeg "Enzo’s kitchen manager Billy Kontogiorgos and owner Rania Tigani are cousins.")
For weeks before taking ownership of Enzo’s Italian Market just outside of downtown Matthews in Stallings, Rania Tigani spent countless hours in the kitchen learning family recipes that were handed down through generations.
“I worked side by side with Enzo’s mom, an amazing Sicilian woman, who showed me first-hand how to create everything that she had perfected over the years,” said Tigani, who bought the specialty shop in May with her husband, Greg. “She had it all in her head and was just eyeballing ingredients, so I took meticulous notes to make sure we’re able to continue serving all of the products that customers have come to know and love.”
Established in 2009, Enzo’s is one of the Charlotte area’s only authentic New York-style Italian markets. Original owner Enzo LoRe, who was born in Sicily, brought all his favorite traditional Italian flavors and homemade specialties to the Potter Road store and ran the business for 13 years before stepping away this spring to focus on his health.
Tigani, a self-described “people person and super foodie” with an appreciation for all things Italian, was a longtime customer of the shop. “We learned of Enzo’s intention to sell the store, and we knew we had to keep it going,” said Tigani, whose family has a background in restaurants.
House-made sausages, pasta pastries, gelato and more
The new owners have kept all the classic staples and house-made sausages that the store is known for, such as thin Italian-style pinwheel sausage, broccoli rabe sausage and porcini mushroom and sundried tomato sausage. They’ll continue to use top quality products imported directly from Italy.
They also expanded the store’s offering by adding a new dessert section, pastries, imported gelatos and specialty items like pastas and fresh bread, including daily baked Italian semolina breads. Additionally, they designed a new logo featuring a caricature of Enzo’s smiling face to honor him and his connection to the store.
“People have been very responsive in a positive way to these changes. It’s been a blessing,” Tigani said. “Enzo had the concept right, to bring an Italian market to the Charlotte area. We just took it to another level. It’s a butcher shop. It’s a bakery. It’s a supermarket. It has all kinds of things sourced directly from New York or Italy, and the majority we make ourselves — it’s home cooking without the hassle for our customers.”
About 90 percent of Enzo’s clientele are from New York or have an Italian heritage, Tigani said. “We’ve had people literally get on their knees and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m home,’ or ‘It’s a taste of home,’ which is so personally gratifying. We must be doing something right here.”
The sausages are the top sellers, Tigani said, but people come for a little bit of everything, from fresh chicken cutlets to take-and-bake selections to several varieties of homemade sauces, including Enzo’s very own Sunday sauce. Weekly specials run the gamut and don’t last long (a recent penne dish with ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan and lemon juice flew off the shelves within hours).
“You will be on a delicious foodie trip to Italy when you enter Enzo’s,” longtime customer Karen Phillips told CharlotteFive. “The younger generation running the store has brought vibrancy into the place with new specialty foods.”
Phillips, a faithful Enzo’s customer for more than a decade, said the Sunday sauce is “spectacularly delicious,” and her other favorites are the cheese ravioli and cheese manicotti. She added, “My advice is not to leave without getting some of the delicacies they have in the dessert section.”
In a Yelp review, Swaz F. of Matthews wrote, “A place like Enzo’s is very much needed here. In Boston, this place would not be very special because there are so many authentic Italian grocers, especially in the North End. I don’t know of another Italian grocer in Matthews/Mint Hill area. I grew to love all of the products in this store that you cannot get from the chain Super Market and the price is reasonable, too.”
These reactions and reviews are what drive Tigani and the staff every day.
“We’re so grateful for the people who come in here, and we make a mission to treat everyone like family,” she said. “The positive, energetic vibe is something that I’ve worked very hard on, from Day One. People get it. When they come to Enzo’s, they’re getting a full culinary experience.”
Enzo’s Market
Location: 4420 Potter Rd, Stallings, NC 28104
Instagram: @enzos.italian.market
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story listed an incorrect address.
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
