Meet Gino Scarafiotti of Belfiore Italian Sausage in North Denver/Wheat Ridge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gino Scarafiotti.

Gino, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Belfiore’s has been an established business in North Denver for decades and my entire family exclusively bought their sausage when I was growing up because it was the best around. The recipe was as authentic as it gets, and yes they made it with fennel. I loved going in the place as a child because the owner, an Italian lady with a thick accent to prove it, would always give me a slice or two of salami.

I then grew up to work in the food industry and found out when I was 24 that the owners wanted to sell, so I figured it out and bought Belfiore’s when I was 25. I kept the sausage recipe exactly the same and our customers love it as much as my family did when I was young. Today, we make fresh Italian sausage daily and sandwiches to-go, but also offer a plethora of other housemade specialties that customers can prepare at home including Argentinian chorizo, meatballs, raviolis, lasagnas, pastas and more.

Has it been a smooth road?
Fortunately, I bought a business with an established clientele; however, the inherited customer base consisted of a very tenured North Denver bunch and I wanted/needed to expand on that to satisfy an evolving neighborhood. Even more, I bought the business in the face of the recession, which presented a dire uncertainty of the future.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Belfiores specialize in a variety of sausages including fresh hot and mild Italian, dried Italian, Argentinian chorizo, honey-chipotle, bratwurst and more. Our customers can cook and serve a genuine Italian meal at home that requires little to no prep, such as pastas, lasagnas, pizza, raviolis, soup, mac-n-cheese and gnocchi. Additionally, we offer made-to-go Italian sandwiches, some of which feature our very popular sausages, meatballs and housemade toppings.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Belfiores is located in the center of a bustling new era of one of Denver’s oldest residences, located just north of the city’s downtown. This location serves as a desirable place for Denverites to work and live and merges some of the metro area’s coolest neighborhoods such as LoHi, Sunnyside, Berkeley, the Highlands and Sloan’s Lake into the thriving adjacent city of Wheat Ridge.

Contact Info:

• Address: 5820 West 38th Avenue Wheat Ridge, CO 80212
• Phone: 303-455-4653
• Email: wownicesausage@gmail.com
• Instagram: @belfioreitaliansausage
• Facebook: @wownicesauage

Image Credit:
Justin Levitt. Carmen Scarafiotti

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