Aurora 60 Years in the Making!

Humble Beginnings. 60 years ago, Aurora founder Nunzio Tumino was 28 years old and looking into an investment that would secure his future. A small grocery store was for sale at 713 the Queensway and he and his wife had just enough saved to take the plunge.The deal closed on April 25th and the store opened under new management on May 14th 1955.

The small store soon became a meeting ground for the newly immigrated Italians of the Queensway Mimico area and the business flourished by providing familiar and hard to get items to their growing and loyal clientele. Pasta, olive oil, chestnuts, Italian breads, cheeses & meats are all easy to find today, but in 1955 it was a completely different story.

As the business grew, trips to Italy became possible, and more products became available. Ever so slowly, one step at a time, and with the help of family and a growing number of employees Aurora was born and has evolved into what we have here today. Happy 60th Anniversary to all who helped us get here!

The Anniversary Challenge. When it came time to decide how we wanted to celebrate this milestone we turned to thoughts of tradition, nostalgia and memories of our humble beginnings. After all, these very things were the impetus of our success. The search for things familiar, the importance of upholding tradition, the desire to continue to feed our families (and our souls) the food & nourishment we grew up with, are all things we seem to have in common. Enter idea #1. Create and build a recipe archive that will help to document & preserve what we all hold so dear.

We truly hope you will enjoy our 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Recipe Tin. It includes 1 recipe for each of our 60 years in business….some are oh so simple and familiar, others may be a regional specialty you’ve never seen before, or maybe always wanted to try but never knew how to make.

How many of you have found yourselves pleading for a quantity of flour or water in a recipe only to get the classic Nonna response “quanto basta” (however much is enough). We worked toward solving a bit of this for you with what we consider to be a 60 recipe starter. The rest is up to you. Are up to the challenge!?

There are 32 blank cards in each tin, we hope you will you take the time and effort to fill them out with your own family recipes! Could this not be one of the best hand me downs ever for our children & grandchildren? Each tin will become a completely unique collection of recipes! A family heirloom in the making!

The Pantry Essentials. And to further thank you this month we are kicking off an extra special promotion to help get your pantry stocked with much of what you will need to make many of the recipes in the tin and just get you cooking in general. It’s been a long winter, is your pantry looking bare? With 1 click on our online store you can stock it up with these 17 items AND a recipe tin for only $60!

The 1 click Spring Pantry Essentials Box. Limited time only (regular $100 retail value)

Take advantage of spring….asparagus, artichokes, strawberries are coming soon in Ontario, won’t it be great to start cooking with fresh local vegetables again! Your pantry will never be the same! Try some of our most special products, Allessia San Marzano Tomatoes from Naples, Capers in coarse sea salt & Tuna in olive oil packed in glass. Aurora Tomato Puree, Pezzettone, Egg Fettuccini & Superfino Arborio Rice. Frantoi Cutrera Selezione Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Sicily, Polselli Tipo 00 flour & La Cosentina Dried Oregano from Calabria just to name a few! With the right ingredients (and a few recipes) it will be easier than you think! Buon Appetito!