The family behind a staple of downtown Victoria’s lunch scene is selling their business to new owners. After 41 years of service, the Segato brothers are stepping away from Italian Food Imports on Blanshard and Fort streets. “My brother and I had always said we want to sell before we’re at the end of our rope, before we’re tired of this or getting cranky,” co-owner Massimo Segato said. Massimo and Maurizio Segato’s late parents bought the deli in 1985, when it was operating under a previous owner. “My dad used to come in. He used to be a mechanic by trade,” Massimo said. “The owner at the time was having a day and he was complaining about, ‘Oh, I want to sell this thing. I want to move on.’ And my dad looked at him and said, ‘I’ll buy it.’” The Segato family — who immigrated from Italy — has been serving up subs, pastas, salads and more ever since. Maurizio was 19 when his parents bought the business. He’s 60 now. “Importing laws are different, downtown is different,” the business’ co-owner said. “It was definitely a lot quieter, a lot slower pace downtown.” On Tuesday, the place was jammed. The deli was lined up for much of the morning, as the brothers doled out hugs and handshakes to customers saying farewell. “Thank you to all of our customers through the years,” Massimo said. “We’ve been blessed and privileged.” Kendra Iden and her best friend and business partner take over on Sunday. Iden, who just moved to Victoria from Portland, said customers need not worry about the beloved business changing. “Why fix something that isn’t broken?” said Iden, who is experienced with imports and Italian cuisine. “I’ve spent the last couple of weeks shadowing Massimo and Maurizio, so I can help preserve their legacy in a way that makes it feel seamless — that there’s no real transition here. It’s just going from brothers to sisters.”
