Success for 40 years plus
BY GINNY PRIVITAR
CHESTER — The Chester Village Deli has been in business for more than 40 years, and for 22 of those years, Andrew Gallo has been the owner.
An uncle started the business in 1976. Gallo started working for him in 1990 and worked part-time while attending college. In 1991 he bought the business.
Gallo said owning the store wasn't his primary goal while he was in college, but the opportunity presented itself and he really enjoyed cooking and the deli business.
Like many a good cook, he said, "I learned to cook from my mother, Raffaella Gallo; she handed the reins over to me."
He attributes the store's success to great customer service, friendly staff and high quality food and ingredients in their prepared food.
"We try to listen to the customer and cater to their needs and wants," Gallo said.
They make everything from scratch; all their lunch items are very popular and made on site. They also make their own sausage and sauces; the vodka sauce is a customer favorite. The deli also carries 30 different varieties of ravioli. They offer freshly-made mozzarella and fresh-cut and imported meats and cheeses, as well as Boar's Head cold cuts.
Customers can eat-in as the store has tables and chairs. Catering is also available and specialties like Chicken Marsala or Chicken Parmesan are very popular. Cold platters and 6-foot sub sandwiches are favorites. The round hero filled with antipasto is also popular. They make gourmet salads and carry Arthur Ave. bread — a favorite of many former Bronxites. Gallo's family came up from the Bronx and his uncle, Antonio Ferri, is still there, running Ivana's Pizzeria on Arthur Ave.
It's a successful business and Gallo is there seven days a week. When not at the deli, Gallo spends all of his time with his family: wife Heather and daughters, Gianna, 12, and Ella, 10. Gianna loves to dance; that's her passion, her father said. Ella likes to cook and bake and spends time watching the Food Network, he said. Could this be the beginning of a family dynasty?
Check out their menus online, or better yet, stop by and try some of their delicious home-made specialties.