COLLEEN GREEN The Standard
SCUGOG: Food has always been Eduardo’s, first love. He first studied English and did that for a while, but he couldn’t deny his passion for food as he got older.
“I went back to school for Food and Beverage Restaurant Management at George Brown, thinking I would be opening up a restaurant or cafe. While studying, I saw other directions I could go,” explained Eduardo. His internship lead him to the Pasquale Brothers Specialty Foods company. Pasquale Brothers have been selling mostly imported specialty foods since 1917. They supply restaurants and chefs. “I dealt with ingredients and consultations there. When my internship was up, they asked me to stay on. I stayed at Pasquale Brothers for two and half years,” he added.
While at Pasquale Brothers, Eduardo saw people from all over the GTA, including Port Perry, coming to Etobicoke to buy products. “My experience there lead me to want to do more with gourmet products and bring it to the retail side. When covid hit and all the restaurants were closing, this trajectory was perfect.” Hence Eduardo took the leap to new business owner and opened Eduardo’s Fine Foods here in Port Perry.
Eduardo chose Port Perry to start his new venture because his family had always stopped here when going to the cottage. He found Port Perry to be a picturesque small town with a relaxing atmosphere.
Eduardo continues his relationship with Pasquale Brothers by offering their products at his store.
He is passionate about his product and loves to help his customer find that unique ingredient. If Eduardo doesn’t have a particular product on hand, his knowledge of the fine food industry enables him to offer you options that can work or point in the direction of where you can find that product.
He is also happy to educate people on ingredients they are unfamiliar with. If a customer comes in trying a new recipe with an ingredient in it that they have never used before, they may be hesitant to proceed. For example, if the recipe calls for a preserved lemon, and there are 10 in the jar, but they only need one, Eduardo can explain other uses for the product. Then the customer is more comfortable proceeding.
He can also offer shortcuts or cooking hacks to customers.
One product he has found very popular here in Port Perry is Paella Rice. His customers are very happy they don’t have to go all the way into Toronto to purchase it.
“My aim for the store is to have interesting ingredients. Especially ingredients that are hard to get. I want to collaborate with other food providers. For example, to suggest a client go to Herrington’s Quality Butcher for a piece of meat and Port Cheese for a platter.” Eduardo went on to explain, “I want to specialize in a small amount of product. When you have too much product, you can only talk knowledgeably on a few. I want to make sure that every product I sell are ones I have used quite a bit. A good manager hires people who know what they are doing. It is the same thing with food. If I am not familiar with a product, I can tell you who is.”
In the new year, Eduardo will be providing recipe cards for his clientele, and when covid is over, he looks forward to having a tasting table to educate his clients’ palette.
Discover a new flavour at Eduardo’s Fine Food, located at 2-268 Queen Street, in historic downtown Port Perry. He is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be sure to stop in and ask Eduardo about a great Christmas gift for the foodie in your life, as well as great entertaining ideas for the holidays.
Bon appetite!