Our Story

Welcome to Mercato Sociale! An Italian Food Market in Downtown Oakville. Founded by Heather Saunders and Enzo Campisi.

Firstly, Enzo and I are overjoyed to welcome you all into our Mercato. I’ll go back a little and tell you how this shop came to be… Enzo and I have always dreamt of opening our own business and starting a new foundation for our family. During the long months of lockdowns over the past few years, we started putting our dreams onto paper and they quickly turned from dreams to plans. Enzo has been busy perfecting recipes and I have been busy working on all the behind the scenes tasks that come with opening a new business.

Enzo. Born in a small town in Sicily, Cattolica Eraclea. From an early age he watched and learned how to cook from his mother and grandmothers. Learning family recipes and traditional cooking styles. He moved from Italy to Frankfurt, Germany for his first job working in a kitchen. From there he moved to Canada and started working in restaurants in Toronto. He is a skilled chef, which led him, together with his partners, Aldo and Tino, to open his first restaurant Borgo Antico Oakville. (Directly across the street from the market.)

Heather. My story starts a little closer to home. I was born and raised in Toronto and moved to Oakville in 2014. I have always dreamt of having a little shop full of wonderful treasures or in this case, wonderful food. I have an education in Social Work and a Corporate background with Mercedes-Benz Canada. I opened my first small business when I moved to Oakville which allowed me to immerse myself in this beautiful community. Enzo has taught me so much about food and wine over the years; there is nothing quite like learning from an Italian chef first hand and he has truly shown me the “love” of food.

And finally, the NAME. Mercato Sociale (Italian) - Social Market (English) This name came so easily for us. We wanted to create a market that feels like home for our community. We want our customers to come in and say hi and find ease in our products and services. What we are looking forward to most is seeing familiar faces and becoming a destination for all the true lovers of Italian Food.

We look forward to seeing you all and thank you for your support.

Ciao,

Heather and Enzo