The Italian Deli has new owners, and one of them founded an Australian bakery chain

Italian Food Imports on Blanshard Street has new operators for the first time in decades. Maurizio and Massimo Segato, who ran the deli their parents bought in 1985, sold it to Kendra Iden and Joanne Hawkins, who took over this week.

Iden helped found the Australia-based artisanal bakery chain Sonoma in the 1990s. She moved to Victoria last month from Portland, Oregon, to run the deli day to day, while Hawkins handles the finances from Whistler. The two are longtime friends who stumbled on the business listing and struck a deal within two months.

The Segatos say they aren't fixing what isn't broken. Maurizio, 60, is heading toward retirement, and Massimo, 55, says he won't make any big decisions before a long trip to Italy. Both have standing jobs at the shop if they want them.