La Felicita Catering

Joe and Dominic Terlizzese, owners of La Felicita Catering, were raised by parents who encouraged them to pursue any career they liked, but the boys always knew in their hearts that it was their destiny to continue the family tradition.

Their father, Giacinto (Gino), grew up in a small southern Italian town called Palo del Colle, in a building that housed the town’s forno (communal bread oven). Not surprisingly, when he and his wife, Felicia, decided in 1971 to launch a business in their adopted home of Oakville, they opened an Italian bakery. The Terlizzese family ran popular Bari Bakery on Kerr Street until 1982, when plans for expansion caused them to relocate to a larger location in Clarkson.

Joe, Dominic and their little sister, Mary, grew up working alongside their parents at the bakery, and later in the Clarkson restaurant, named after an '80s-era Italian pop song, “Felicità.” Through these experiences they learned all about hard work, cooperation, creating great food and making customers happy.