Stallings gets an Italian market

Enzo LoRe had the silly idea he was going into semi-retirement when he and his family moved down from New York. Wife Josephine (that's her, with the pretty smile) had a different idea.

They opened an Italian meat shop in Stallings, outside Matthews, three months ago and now they're both working hard.

Small world: Both Josephine and Enzo were born in Sicily, but they met in New York. She moved here at age 5, he moved here when he was 11 or 12.

Even smaller world: When Enzo had a meat shop in New York, one of the distributors he worked with was Tony Stafford, who now owns Ferrucci's, the popular Italian market in Cornelius.

They moved south because Josephine wanted a place that was warmer and had a slower pace of life. She's been startled by both winter and the Charlotte pace. ("They lied!")

OK, so to the food: Some Italian products and pastries (cannoli, of course) but mostly a long case full of braciole, skirt steak, housemade Italian sausages in a half-dozen or so flavors, prepared dishes like the "Parms" -- eggplant and chicken -- lasagnes and more. When I stopped by Thursday, the wonderful smell turned out to be rice balls being fried up in the back.

Between Enzo's, Ferrucci's, Pasta & Provisions and Derados, another new market in Cornelius, our Italian shopping list is getting filled.

Enzo's is at 4420 Potter Road. The number is 704-684-0478. (If you're coming from Matthews, take East John Street past Trade and go about 2.5 miles, past I-485. Turn right on Potter Road and they're in the shopping center on the right.)

Cookbook Giveway: Missing 2 winners

I'm still waiting to hear from Debbie from Mount Pleasant, who won the Julia Child DVD "The Way to Cook," and Mpierce/Michelle of Rock Hill, who won "The Golden Book of Baking." Ladies, if either of you is out there, please send your mailing addresses to me at kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com.

And now, time for a new giveaway. Italian cookbook fans should recognize the name Michele Scicolone. In addition to teaching cooking classes in New York, she's written 14 cookbooks, covering every aspect of Italian cooking. Well, almost everything: Her newest book is just out, "The Italian Slow Cooker." Given the slow, braised nature of many Italian classics, this one looks like a natural, and it's almost screams "winter food."

If you'd like to try for a copy, post a comment here with a name I can use to recognize you. We'll have a random drawing next week.

And if you enter, don't forget to check back to see if you won.