June 16, 2015
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Teresa took her first steps in the pasta aisle of The Italian Centre, her father’s legendary grocery business. She grew up around the business, taking it over in 2000 and since then just cannot stop herself opening up new shops all over Alberta. She loves feeding people so her house is always full — whether it’s the neighbourhood kids, family (lots of family) and even more friends. Although her business is her family too (she knows all 400 staff by name), her greatest joy is watching her son Massimo score hat-tricks at soccer and husband Mike building fires at the lake, on the one-day-a-week he forces her to take off.
Right when she and her husband Mike had given up being able to adopt a baby, a young lady walked into their store and asked them to be her son’s parents. They had two days to decide. The result? They were present at Massimo’s birth and took him home with them that very day.
One of her favourite sayings is “I will share my house, my money, my husband, but I won’t share my food”. Be forewarned: keep your paws off her dinner plate!
When she was 14 years old, she walked a girlfriend home and took a little too long going back home. Her dad went looking for her and caught her kissing a boy. He was shocked. He hadn’t fathomed that Teresa was already interested in boys.
Her Achilles heel is Gianduja gelato — an Italian chocolate. Says Teresa, “I get irrational if I’m within one metre of the stuff.”
She met her husband Mike in the doctor’s waiting room.
The statue in the photo is of her father and is located in Giovanni Caboto Park. He really did have such large hands.