Tuscany on Main, a culinary market boutique specializing in all sorts of olive oils, pastas, spreads, jams, chocolates, dips, etc., will be opening at 425 Elmwood Avenue in November. Owners Jim and Marlena Maloney opened their original location in East Aurora back in June (see photo below). Now they’re expanding their territory to the city and bringing with them quality gourmet delights along with exciting culinary programming. “We love to cook,” Jim told me. “And one night we were sitting around drinking wine and talking about all of the gourmet food items that we wished we could find locally. It was then that we decided that we weren’t going to wait for someone else to do it. Some good things can come out of a bottle of wine.”
Sales at the East Aurora location have been so brisk that the two decided to expand, rather quickly, to Elmwood. “We figured that there was another segment of customers that we weren’t reaching,” Jim continued. “We’re not a franchise, so our prices are reasonable. My wife and I own the business, travel to trade shows and basically live for and love what we’re doing. We are working directly with an olive oil sommelier who lives half the year in Tuscany. He gets us exactly what we want – pure olive oils from around the world. We also carry all natural gourmet Italian chocolates, spreads – 30 different types of dips and spreads, pastas (15 different types), many sauces… you would swear that grandma made them – real healthy wholesome natural stuff, books, etc. We host speakers, education classes, monthly community tastings with local chefs, food pairings with like-minded businesses, and we’re always looking to accommodate what customers are looking for.”
After talking with Jim, he seems to have everything set to go except that he hasn’t tracked down a good source for bread (if anyone has any suggestions). Other than that, I can’t wait to see what they do with the space – especially after seeing how beautiful the East Aurora location is.
Tuscany on Main
425 Elmwood
Buffalo NY 14222
716-714-5831