There are a few genuine Italian specialty food stores left in New York City. One of them is D. Coluccio & Sons. In what used to be the center of Little Italy in Brooklyn, D. Coluccio & Sons is sandwiched between Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge. Founded by Domenico Coluccio in 1962, D. Coluccio & Sons has the finest variety of imported Italian pastas, cheeses, baking products, prosciuttos, Soppressatas, and delicious cakes available today in the Tri-State area. Did I mention that they also make Mozzarella on premises? You will often find the Mozzarella still warm on deli countertop display.
Immigrating from Gioiosa Marina, a small town in southeastern Calabria, Italy, Domenico began importing foods that you could only get from his part of Calabria. This tradition of maintaining an inventory of unique food imports has continued today with his children, Luigi, Rocco, and Cathy.
I drove to the store in late April to shop and to see how things are going in the wake of the Coronavirus.
I had to queue out in front, along with other people, as the store now only allows five customers in at a time. Everyone must wear a mask and a pair of gloves (they provide the gloves) to enter. When it was my turn, I rushed into the store like a thief, grabbing a few essential items: a box of fresh pasta, packages of stuffed raviolis, olive oil, bottled artichokes, and a few bags of peperoncino flavored taralucci (a snack which is like a cross between a cracker and pretzel). Of course, no visit to D. Coluccio & Sons is complete without at least one (or two) spicy Soppressata(s). There is nothing like biting into a Coluccio Soppressata. It is not a packaged food. Made with peperoncino and other flavors specific to Calabria, I always close my eyes and sigh when I take the first bite. Before the virus, when my wife and I had company, I would proudly serve sliced Coluccio Soppressata, stacked up next to Coluccio’s Asiago cheese, and watch people’s reactions after their first taste. Most would shake their heads and point at the delectable treat in disbelief.
Here is a little secret. I often wake up in the morning, cut a few pieces of Coluccio Soppressata to eat first thing in the morning. When I roll out of bed. Before vitamins. Before anything. I eat as much Soppressata as I want in the morning because I know I’ll burn it off during the day.
As I was curious to learn more about how else the virus has affected the store, I called a few days later to see if I could talk to someone.
When I said I was calling from the Star Revue, I was passed to Cathy, the founder’s daughter.
I told her that I have long been a big fan of D. Coluccio & Sons and would love to chat about the impact of the Coronavirus.Cathy was immediately friendly and warm.
“Importing is definitely slower,” said Cathy. “But our inventory is completely stocked.”
‘I noticed all of the regular items are on the shelves,” I said.
“We’ve done our best to adapt,” Cathy added. “And because of our connections in Italy, we made adjustments to our business early on. In fact, we were among the first stores in New York City to require wearing masks and gloves and to limit the amount of people in the store at the same time.”
“Has the virus changed the things people purchase?” I asked.
“People are buying more things to cook at home. Our pastas fly off the shelves. Our all-purpose double zero flour (also called doppio zero) has been immensely popular. People are doing a lot of baking at home: breads, pastas and pizza. We also have fresh yeast and dry yeast, both of which have been in short supply, everywhere.”
“How has the community reacted to D. Coluccio & Sons staying open?” I asked.
“Everyone has been incredibly supportive,” said Cathy. “One of the really wonderful things is the stories we hear. People making cakes and baking breads for each other, leaving them at the door. Neighbors, friends, and family. It’s really sweet.”
“When do you think you’ll get back to normal?” I asked.
“Hopefully soon. This is not just another store. This is our family tradition. It goes back generations. In the meantime, we will continue bringing great food into people’s homes in the safest way we can.”
D Collucio’s and Son’s is located at 1214 60th St, at 12th Avenue. Phone is 718 436-6700
Mike Fiorito: www.callmeguido.com
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2 Comments
My name is Stefano, Italian from Italy, and have lived in NYC for the past 8 years. I’d been looking for a store like Coluccio from my first days here, and once I found it, I never left it.
Walking in, it gives you the feeling of an Italian store. Because it is, to its roots.
The article, Michael, well explains what the store is. I’ll add that I don’t go to Coluccio often (I live far away), but when I go, I buy A LOT of stuff, and I SAVE a lot of money, doing so. Not only is the quality very good, but the prices of authentic Italian products are the best you can find in the city, and in the whole country. Coluccio is an importer, distributor, and has a store. The pasta, the EEVOs, the cheeses, the Arborio and Carnaroli rice… and then tuna, crackers, friselle, 00 flour, taralli, not to mention the Mauro coffee ground for espresso machines or in grains, their canned tomatoes… all exceptionally priced. A wedge of REAL Parmigiano Reggiano and another one of Pecorino Romano will last you for weeks, and cost the same as the fake boxed parm-sawdust you find in other stores, and too many people buy thinking they are saving money….
Get a mozzarella, some fresh ricotta, some sun dried tomatoes, some olives, a bag of taralli, a bottle of wine (you’ll have to find this somewhere else!) and you’ll have an amazing meal.
Go to Coluccio, and you’ll understand yourself why it’s worth it.
Glad to get Stefano’s expert input here. The details he added really make the article. Thank you!!!