‘Slice of Europe’ coming to Ayr as Mary Wegert and sons open new deli

A vacant shop in Ayr is coming alive with hard-to-find European delicacies as Mary Wegert prepares to take the plunge into small business with ‘Slice of Europe’.

After 28 years away, Mary Wegert is coming home to Ayr - and she's bringing a bit of Melbourne's food culture with her, opening 'Slice of Europe'.

A vacant shop in Ayr is coming alive with European delicacies as Mary Wegert prepares to take the plunge into small business with ‘Slice of Europe’.

Originally from Ayr, Mrs Wegert has spent the last 28 years living in South-East QLD and Melbourne where she got to experience a diverse food culture.

“I’ve just come back from doing five years in Melbourne and there are delis all the way around that town and I loved the atmosphere they had,” Mrs Wegert said.

“I think the Burdekin has space for a shop that has no coffee, no seats or tables, it’s just an old fashioned deli.”

Mrs Wegert said her aim is to stock hard-to-find foods from places like Italy, Greece, Germany and Spain.

Mrs Wegert said she was most excited about bringing in different meats and cheeses. “My favourites are all the different types of hard cheeses,” she said. Pic: Megan Cullen

“I’ve already got the shopping list, and we’re going to have a lot of salami, cheese, hams, oils and grocery goods,” she said.

“I’m also really excited to sell sugared almonds, which no one has got around there. They are from Italy and are a traditional wedding food. They can have chocolate in them or pistachio cream, and I’m going all out and getting 20 different flavours.”

Pink sugared almonds Photo: Contributed

Born Mary Minuti, Mrs Wegert grew up one of five siblings on a small cropping farm and has brothers still in the region with “acres of watermelons”, sugarcane, and a sister who runs a jewellery shop in Ayr.

“Along with my husband Gary, we raised our boys in Ipswich and the Gold Coast, and after completing their trades they said they hated living in a city and came back to Ayr, and have found themselves in the cane industry, so I have followed them home,” she said.

“Slice of Europe is a family business between me, my two sons and their families.”

Mrs Wegert, along with her husband and two sons, have been hard at work preparing the vacant shop space at 135 Queens St, across from Snap Fitness.

With years of experience as a 2IC in the Coles fresh produce department, Mrs Wegert is feeling confident about the future.

“I’ve hired three senior and three junior staff, I’ve worked in customer service since I was 15 years old and I like training the younger people,” she said.

“But I was shocked. I advertised six positions and only 15 people applied - most of them kids who won’t be able to work the same hours once the holidays end.”

The adventure won’t be without its challenges however, as cold freight is a major speed bump.

“Certain cheeses have been hard to source, because being in QLD and the logistics, its too far out and expensive for the small amount we’d need,” she said.

Despite that, Mrs Wegert has managed to organise a regular spot on a cold freight truck that regularly runs between Brisbane and Townsville.

Slice of Europe will be opening its doors for the first time on Saturday, November 23.

Originally published as ‘Slice of Europe’ coming to Ayr as Mary Wegert and sons open new deli