A taste of Italy has made its way to small town Saskatchewan with a new restaurant offering homemade Italian food with fresh ingredients. Massimo “Max” Ursino was born in Genoa, Italy and moved to Canada with his family in 1966. Growing up in Canada, he lived in several cities, including Calgary, where he met his now wife Michelle. “We cooked and had dinner every Sunday. Our recipes were basically all home cooked Italian food,” Max said. “My grandparents, although they lived in Canada for 25 years they spoke very little English, but they taught us how to speak and write Italian. I speak and write Italian because I went to Sunday school.” Becoming grandparents themselves, the couple chose to move from Calgary to Southey, Sask. three years ago to be closer to their son who works in the area. Noticing a gap for Italian cuisine in the town of roughly 800 people, they decided to open a restaurant of their own. “We wanted to bring a taste of Italy to Southey and we wanted an authentic restaurant to have authentic food,” Max said. The restaurant - Bella’s Italian Café – currently serves pizza, pasta and sausage on a bun. Majority of the foods ingredients are sourced directly from northern Italy, Max said, adding their sauces and pastas are made “fresh in house” on a daily basis. “Our pizza crust comes from northern Italy. It’s alla pala pizza … it means paddle,” Max explained. “It’s a paddle type pizza. Our pieces are parbaked in a wood burning oven. They’re non-GMO.” The pizzas are cooked in two minutes at 600 degrees, he added. Yet, the desire for giving customers an experience of Italy does not stop at the dinner table. The cabin restaurant is decorated in photos showcasing Max’s personal connection to the European nation, along with other depictions of Italy. “It’s a whole vibe versus just coming to eat. It feels like you’re somewhere else then just a small town. It feels like you’re somewhere fun on vacation,” said Michelle. “This is a photo of my parents a year and a half before I was born. This is them on their honeymoon in Rome,” Max added, pointing to one of the many portraits in the restaurant. One of the walls displays a photo of Max’s family when they landed in Halifax in 1966. Below it, sits a picture of the cast of the HBO drama series “The Sopranos.” “This is a picture of my uncles,” Max said jokingly. “I’m just kidding, these are The Sopranos. We wanted to actually bring a bit of Italian into the restaurant, not just of me, but also we wanted to have the vibe. We have a map of Italy here with of all the provinces and major cities and of course we have the Rat Pack. Everyone knows about the Rat Pack here.” ‘Somebody gets to bring in their past’ The restaurant officially opened on April 8. Within seven months, the Italian eatery has sparked the interest of many returning customers. “I think it’s so cool to have something like [this] connecting to a town, where somebody gets to bring in their past,” said Sarah Groff who works in Southey and discovered the restaurant with her coworkers. “Their life, all of the things that they love, and appreciate, about where they grew up and create that in a place that seems so far away from it.” Another regular customer said he feels the food quality is one-of-a-kind. “I think it’s great for the community. I think it will help bring people out from Regina just with having something so amazing,” said Ethan Kuski. “Honestly, there’s no food in Regina that even compares to this, so I think it’ll help bring people out.” Marilyn Hubick and her husband have been customers since the restaurant opened. She said the two drive 30 minutes from Strasbourg just to have a bite. “We live in Strasbourg so we come here just for lunch and once you come here once, you’ll come back for sure. It’s [the] best pizza around,” she said. Business great for community Greg Adelman, Southey’s mayor, said any new business makes all the difference to a small town. “Every new business is important to a community of our size. We are close to [Regina], but it’s nice to have something that’s nearby and close,” Adelman said. “Even people that live in the city and work in the community, they really tell me how important it is to have the small new businesses here because it’s so easy to stop in and pick up groceries quickly or come to a restaurant quickly.” There are about 853 residents who call Southey home. In addition to the dozens of people who travel to the area for work. Adelman said he’s not surprised how quickly word got around about the new restaurant. “Anytime there’s a new business that arises people come and check it out right away. There’s especially a buzz with businesses like Bella’s here,” he said. “Even in other small communities the same thing happens, if there’s a good business that opens up, the word flies and they come to it.” With Bella’s being open for less than a year, the owners say they hope to introduce more foods to their menu down the road. “It’s learning curve,” Michelle said with a smile. “I’m a little bit bossy and he’s a little bossy so it’s just who’s the boss?” “And Michelle is the boss,” Max responded, with both encouraging people to come give their cuisine a try. “Come try the pizza, try the pasta, come and join the vibe. We have Italian music playing, we got the fireplace. It’s nice and cozy, everyone’s welcome.”
