For those who had the distinct pleasure of wandering into the old Scimeca’s Grocery Store at Independence & The Paseo during its over 40-year history at that location, they know that some of the sweetest smells and best imported Italian deli salads and sausages were to be had in the imported section located at the back of the store. It was almost like walking into a little Brooklyn Italian deli and market, only it was in the old Northeast neighborhood, once the heart of Kansas City’s Italian American community.

After an almost 25-year hiatus, that Little Italy experience has been recreated, thanks to Toni Scimeca Bonadonna, in a quaint Tudor storefront at 16th & Swift in North Kansas City. Bonadonna is the fourth generation of the Scimeca family to work in the food industry and she’s tickled pink to be part of the experience.