Tre Mari Bakery

Bread and rolls baked in-house daily, deli meats imported from Italy, delicious cheeses and sweet cannoli filled with custard cream made from milk and farm-fresh eggs – it’s no wonder Tre Mari, an Italian bakery located on St. Clair Avenue in Corsa Italia, is a busy place. The sweet and savoury aromas emanating from the double doors have long attracted generations of customers looking for a taste of Italy to put into their bags and bring home.

This family-run bakery got its start more than 50 years ago in 1956 when Jim and Mary Deleo, newly arrived from Italy, opened a grocery store. “At first it was a food and grocery store called Imperial Grocer,” recalls Frank Deleo, who, along with his parents and three siblings, lived in the apartment upstairs. The children also worked in the store after school. “In 1960, my father bought the building next door and opened Tre Mari. It’s all I’ve ever known.”

The quality of the bakery’s products soon spread throughout the neighbourhood. In 1969, the family closed the grocery store and dedicated the full 5,000 square foot shop to the bakery. Its famous tagline "Don’t forget the bread" is only the beginning of the foodie experience awaiting customers at Tre Mari. “We are an authentic Italian bakery,” Frank says proudly.