Today we’d like to introduce you to Lakewood, CA’s Foggia Italian Market & Deli.
I imagine many of your best customers don’t even know the story behind Foggia Italian Market & Deli – can you share some of that story with us?
From the town of Foggia, just north of the “heel” of the boot of Italy, comes the inspiration for this truly authentic Italian delicatessen. The owner, Robert Quarto traces his family roots back to Foggia, via Providence, Rhode Island, where most of his family still lives today.
Robert began cooking at the early age of 6, when he sadly and unexpectedly lost his mother.. As the years went by, Bob developed a passion for food and cooking. He began apprenticing in restaurants at the age of 15. Three years of intense culinary training under the tutelage of master chef, Andre La Fitte, eventually led to the position of executive chef at La Fitte’s in Beverly Hills. During these early years, Bob was also attending college, working towards a degree in engineering. He was lured away from his career as a chef by the then-booming aerospace industry. After 20 years, Bob left the aerospace industry to pursue his lifelong dream of opening an Italian deli. This proved to be a good decision, as Foggia Italian Market & Deli has just started it’s 18th year in business. Open 7 days a week from 11:00am – 8:00pm, there is rarely a moment when the deli is not packed with people, with every table full and “standing room only”. Some of the “regulars” have informed Bob that if he ever leaves Lakewood, there will be rioting in the streets!
Being Italian, and having the influence of his family in Providence, Rhode Island and Foggia, Italy, Bob has brought his “east coast” style of cooking to Lakewood. Keeping with the tradition of the notoriously big-waisted East Coast appetites, Bob creates sandwiches that are literally “stuffed” full of the highest quality meats and cheeses. In reviews, they have been called “bold, brash, stomach-stuffers”, a different breed, gargantuan, unparallelled, and
a local legend.
Foggia Italian Market & Deli is truly a “family affair”. In the early days, Bob’s wife, Linda, worked side-by-side with him cooking and serving customers. Now Linda handles all of the administrative duties of running the business. Over the years, all five of Bob and Linda’s children did “their time” in the deli. And now there is a new work crew in training . . . nine grandchildren (#10 on the way!), who will all most likely start their careers working in the deli.
Every story has its ups and downs – what are some of the difficulties you’ve had to deal with over time?
Owning a small business in California in these days and times is very challenging. With operational costs constantly rising, it takes intense commitment and focus to remain profitable.
However, we have found that recruiting and retaining qualified workers is one of the biggest challenges currently faced in the food industry. The way we have met this challenge is by recruiting talented individuals from the local community college culinary programs. We currently have six chefs in our kitchen who either already have culinary degrees, or are currently working towards their degrees. For them, getting hands-on training in our commercial kitchen provides them with valuable real-world experience to compliment their classroom instruction. We also have an employee with a Masters degree in Restaurant Management, who handles cost-analysis, profit-tracking and employee training. Having the right employees frees up the owner, and provides quality time to spend with the customer, making sure every customer has the best experience possible, each and every time.
The best part about independent spots, in our view, is that they are able to think outside of the box and experiment with new ideas, take risks, cater to niches, etc. How does that apply to you guys?
Foggia Italian Market & Deli is not just another sandwich shop. Although the sandwiches, are the best around, the real treat is inside the 24-foot long deli case. Here is found an amazing selection of the finest imported Italian meats and cheeses available ready to be sliced to order. Foggia also offers an Italian Market filled with imported Italian dry goods and imported Italian wines and beers. The atmosphere inside the deli has been described by customers as a “taste of home”, an ambience of days gone by, and a deli they way it should be. One gal in a recent Yelp review, talked about how it felt like there must be an Italian Mama in the kitchen cooking up that wonderful food. For her, it was so reminiscent of the old-fashioned east coast delis that she said “Mamma Mia! I had to check when leaving to make sure I hadn’t grown a mustache!”
The other thing that makes Foggia unique, is that literally everything is made from scratch. Nothing comes out of a bottle, can, jar or vacuum-sealed pouch. Bob says, that if he hasn’t made it, he won’t serve it. That includes, meatballs, sauces, soups, deli salads, salad dressing, fresh-baked bread, and even includes Bob’s homemade sausage . . . with chefs in the kitchen grinding the pork shoulder every day and hand-rolling it into links with flavorful seasonings. It might also be worth noting that most sausages purchased in stores or other delis are preserved with unhealthy sodium nitrates. Not at Foggia. Everything here is fresh and handmade in-house, never using unhealthy preservatives of any kind.
Most Popular Items
Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
The large Philly Cheesesteak is 2 1/2 pounds of ooey goodness. One customer said that you need both hands, strong shoulders, and the appetite of a construction crew to handle it. This sandwich is made with premium roast beef, grilled mushrooms, pepper and onions, and topped with melted provolone cheese. The sandwich is toasted, which adds a bit of crunchy exterior to our soft sandwich roll.
Pastrami Sandwich
What sets this pastrami sandwich apart from most others, is that the New-York style pastrami is grilled, not steamed or boiled. This cooks off a good portion of the fat and brings the flavorful seasonings in the meat to the surface. The sandwich is dressed with mustard, pickles, and melted provolone cheese. As with the Philly, it is punishingly large and equally satisfying.
Meatball Sandwich
No Italian deli worth it’s weight would not have a signature meatball sandwich. Foggia’s meatball sandwiched is unrivaled. With hand-made seasoned meatballs, homemade marinara sauce using San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, and provolone cheese . . . all stuffed into the freshest roll you’ve ever had, this sandwich is a must-try.Cannoli
Our in-house, hand-made cannoli, with a pastry shell that is crunchy, not soggy, has been described by our true Italian regulars as the best on the west coast. They are available in three flavors, vanilla, hazelnut and chocolate. Always made to order and as fresh as a cannoli can be . . .Parking Advice:Happy Hour:
Average Entre Cost:$8 – $14 depending on size
Address:5522 Del Amo Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90713
Phone:(562) 627-0987
Website: www.foggiadeli.com
Social Media links
Image credits:
All photos taken in-house by us.
