The doors of the former Cairo Sausage Shop at Roosevelt Road and East Avenue will reopen in the next month or so. If all goes well, they’ll dish up Italian sausage and lasagna like Theresa and Frank Cairo served for 44 years. However, this time around, a new Italian family, the Turcos, will be operating the shop.
Owner Angelina Turco-Potenzo, with the help of her brothers, Mike and Frank Turco, hopes to open Turco’s Italian Deli and Sandwich Shop by the end of October-mid-November at the very latest.
Frank Turco is currently attempting to obtain the Cairos’ famous Italian sausage and lasagna recipes, but the Cairo grandchildren are leery of giving the family secrets away.
“We kind of have an indication about how they did it. I mean we’ve had it before, so we know what’s in there,” said Turco-Potenzo. “The sausage isn’t going to be too much of a problem, but I would really like to know the secret behind their lasagna; my fingers are crossed.”
Other than the two Cairo dishes, everything else sold at the deli will be homemade, Turco family recipes. The menu will feature hot paninis, a wide variety of sub sandwiches, and authentic Italian meats and cheeses. A different fresh soup of the day, such as Italian wedding, classic minestrone, or lentil, will be featured. Turco-Potenzo hopes to include items from all 20 regions in Italy.
They also will feature desserts, such as cannolis and tiramisu, and hope to eventually offer Italian-style breakfast items.
“We’re going to have more of a family atmosphere than Cairo. Everybody who works for me is going to be my family. It’s going to be family-owned and operated,” said Turco-Potenzo. “We want people to come back because we want them to get a feeling, when they come in the door, of being at home.”
Turco-Potenzo currently lives in Berwyn but graduated from OPRF, attended Dominican University in River Forest and teaches at North Cook Young Adult Academy in Skokie. She moved to the 1100 block of South Humphrey Avenue in Oak Park in 1972 and is the oldest of six children. Growing up in Oak Park, the Turco family would go to Cairo Sausage Shop two or three times a week.
“When Cairo closed down,” she said. “I was sad. It’s been part of the community for so long that we felt it should be reopened by someone that’s been in the community,” said Michael Turco. “Cairo was one of my favorite places as a kid. My mom used to shop there all the time.”
Michael currently lives in Chicago and is the general manager at Ontourage night club on West Ontario in Chicago. Both Michael and Frank have coached youth baseball in Oak Park for over 15 years. He’s drawing upon his business knowledge to act as a consultant to his sister.
The deli will be open seven days a week, with business hours likely from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
