From Melbourne to Mortadella, the Gippsland couple who are bringing Italian meats to Toora

Who would have thought that seeking a better life for your young family would result in one of Gippsland's best sandwiches?

Stephen and Meghan Scoglio, opened Tooradeli in Toora last November. 

Two years ago, the couple moved to the small town with their two primary school-aged children after being unable to buy or rent in Melbourne.

“We were living in Collingwood and working from home, wanting to buy a place and couldn’t afford it, couldn’t afford the rent, and the rent was going up,” Stephen told the Gippsland Monitor.

Having holidayed in the area as a child and now with his own family, Stephen knew about South Gippsland but had never been to Toora.

“I liked how small it was, and I liked the 700 people; it is quite a small school, and my kids love it.”

In 2024, Stephen was made redundant from his IT work-from-home job, and Meghan had always worked around coffee and loved baking. 

This is how Tooradeli was born.

It's a deli and cafe that makes one hell of a good sandwich. 

In the deli case, you will find top-end but price-conscious Mortadella, Capocollo, prosciuttos, different hams, and many Salamis, including a delicious truffle and squid ink black salami.

There are olives, a range of cheese, international foods, and a selection of local products that you typically find only at a farmers market. 

“I come from an Italian background, so that was always the focus when we started, but we sort of expanded a little bit from there,” said Stephen. 

It turns out that in a small town like Toora, products are running off the shelves, including a range of weird pasta shapes and German foodstuffs.

Each day, the deli is open, Meghan comes in early and bakes fresh pastries from hand-crafter croissant dough, baking Danishes, croissants and these things called morning buns and pistachio morning buns.

The Gippsland Monitor sampled a Kouign Amann, a sweet toffee-like buttered folded and layered pastry with a Rumble Coffee Roasters cafe latte. 

Stephen makes the bread rolls for sandwiches daily using a baker's flour semolina mix, following a traditional Italian recipe and quick baking method.

“This kind of bread would usually be made in Italy; they make it on the spot for you while you are waiting,” said Stephen. 

“I think people appreciate the fresh bread.” 

The sandwiches' menu changes daily, depending on what is good in the deli case, with many patrons pointing to the daily specials board as their pick. 

A downside is that because the bread is baked fresh every day, you must wait until after 10am for a sandwich and then get in early enough before they sell out. 

We had a Coppa with mild Capocollo, grilled red peppers, feta, rocket and basil pesto. 

Stephen recommended a ‘Margot’, a sandwich featuring leg ham, pepper Mortadella, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo and mustard, designed by his daughter, hence the name, that has become a best-selling sandwich.  

You can find Tooradeli on Instagram @tooradeli