I had a wonderful visit to DeSarno's, a charming Italian market in south Charlotte, run by women: Katherine (Kit) Caron (whose maiden name is DeSarno), Karen DiMezzo, and Karen Pupello. Kit and Karen D. are the owners.
From the time she was a little girl, Kit always loved to cook. Her memories take her back to sitting on a stool by the stove with her Nana in Asbury Park, NJ. She later attended James Madison University, where she would cook for her college friends. With a degree in communications, Kit started a career in television and won several Emmys for her work in the field. Eventually, she moved to Charlotte, the fast-growing city in North Carolina, and started a family, deciding to take a break from television. She sold Mary Kay cosmetics and did quite well, quickly moving up to the position of sales director.
Twelve years later, she decided to pursue her passion and started cooking for her friends weekly. Also in this timeframe, she worked for an Italian tour company. In the middle of all this, Kit and Karen D. met through their children at a birthday party and became great friends.
When Karen D. was laid off from her long-time career in contact center management, the two sat down with some cocktails and planned their destiny. They formed an LLC and hired a commercial realtor to find space. When a perfect spot in Piper Glen shopping center became available, they chose it. They had to completely retrofit the space and put in a commercial kitchen. The financing was all sweat equity and savings.
Karen P. is front of the house. She formerly worked in membership at a local YMCA, but when COVID hit, they started cutting hours. The two owners of DeSarno’s were looking for some help and came across Karen’s resume. She has now been an integral part of the team at DeSarno’s for four years.
Kit’s Italian background comes from both grandparents. Her grandfather came from the Campania region, and her grandmother's family was from Rome. Karen D. has been married to an Italian of Neapolitan descent for 27 years, so she has a lot of exposure to Italian cuisine.
DeSarno’s has been in business for six years. Their specialties include made from scratch delicacies such as Tuscan Lasagna, chicken cutlets, chicken Parmesan, eggplant Parmesan, house-made Italian bread including semolina and focaccia, cannoli, ricotta cookies, 10 different soups, various sauces, take-and-bake meals, as well as daily specials. The ladies at DeSarno’s produce fresh food daily, making dinner easier for their clients.
Due to many customer requests, Kit and Karen D. partnered with their wine rep on twice-monthly cooking and wine pairing classes.
If you are in the Charlotte area, I highly recommend a visit to DeSarno’s. Tell them Low Country Bella sent you!
