In the 1890s and then again in the 1910s, the U.S. saw the highest rate of immigrants in its history, mostly from Europe. Considering these immigrants were coming through Ellis Island, it was only natural that New York City saw the brunt of the influx.
“When the Third Avenue El expanded to Fordham Road in 1901, many of these Italian families made their way northward, [adding] to the already growing Italian population of Belmont,” author Arturo Viale writes in his recently released book “Cent’Anni Arthur Avenue: From Civil War to Social Distancing. A Ten Decade Walk Through America’s Favorite Neighborhood.”
And as the community of Little Italy developed, so did the vendors and merchants.
Walking down the short stretch of Arthur Avenue today, one sees a whole cow’s head in the window of Vincent’s Meat Market, which has been serving the community since 1954. Awnings are marked by years of inception: 1915, 1927, 1946, making it known to passersby that not only are they purchasing food, but with it, decades of heritage.
The tantalizing smells of coffee and freshly baked bread waft through the air as shoppers filter in and out of the stores on the strip. Want some shucked oysters on the sidewalk? You got it. Some warm olive loaf? No problem. A variety of cheeses and meats for a party? Naturally.
Along with the food, comes customs and traditions, like the harvest festival, Ferragosto.
An ancient celebration that literally translates to festival of August, Ferragosto is named after Roman Emperor Augustus who ruled from 27 B.C. until his death in 14 A.D. Celebrated in Italy on Aug. 15, it marks a day of harvest at the end of the agricultural season where people gather to share their crops.
In the Bronx, it will be celebrated on 9/11. “It’s usually the Sunday after Labor Day, so this year it happened to fall on September 11,” says Alyssa Tucker, executive director of the Belmont Business Improvement District. “We’ll also have a moment of silence and be acknowledging a day of remembrance.”
From 12-6 p.m., Arthur Avenue will be closed off to pedestrian traffic from 187th Street to Crescent Avenue, with a stage on 186th Street between Arthur and Hughes avenues where live music will be performed. Thousands of visitors are expected to be in attendance. There will be street performers from the group Commedia dell’arte Travelling Players Ensemble, and of course, the food.
More than 20 vendors will be out on the street selling a variety of tasty treats. One such vendor will be Calabria Pork Store on the eastside of Arthur Avenue between 186 Street and Crescent Avenue. The store will be open for business and they will also have a stand outside selling sausage and peppers, “that’s what we’re known for,” says owner Peter Parrotta.
Upon entry into Calabria Pork store, one is immediately hit with the smell of mold, a requirement for dry-aging sausages which can be seen hanging from the ceiling by the hundreds. The sight is unique and imbues a sense of old-school processes. “What we do is we got a rotation here. I also have an air purifier to help out. We also have fans on the floor to help the process,” says Parrotta.
The pork store makes anywhere between 4,000-6,000 pounds of sausage a week.
Teitel Brothers grocery also has hanging sausage in their store. Located on the northeast corner of 186 Street and Arthur Avenue, and founded by an Austrian Jew in 1915, the grocery provides everything one can want for a large Sunday dinner antipasto. From meats and cheeses, to olives and figs, to dried pastas and canned goods, the spread is as qualitative as it is quantitative.
“[Ferragosto] brings a lot of people to the area. People that you haven’t seen before which is great. It gives you an opportunity to reach out to people who haven’t been here before,” says Chef Michael Teitel, who operates the business alongside his brothers Eddie and Jean.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Michael Teitel was seen walking into Addeo & Sons bakery just a few feet away. “This is the best bread in the Bronx,” he shouts as he enters the bakery that has been around since the 1930s.
Just a little further south on Arthur Avenue is Mario’s restaurant, another local vendor at the fair. Originally a pizzeria in 1919, the eatery was founded by Socalastia Migliucci. The business was then handed down to her son Giuseppe and then his son Mario, who changed the pizzeria into Mario’s restaurant. Mario eventually handed the operation over to his son Joseph — one of the many to succumb to COVID-19 in 2020. Now Joseph’s daughter, Regina Delfino, who has been working at the restaurant since 1988, owns the business, making it a fifth generation-run establishment.
The restaurant has also been a hot spot for recording, like the 1980 movie, “Idolmaker” and the iconic HBO series, “The Sopranos.” Then owner Mario Migliucci was even approached about filming a scene of the 1972 film, “The Godfather.”
“My grandfather would not let them because he didn’t want the murder scene inside the restaurant,” says Delfino as she sits at a table with a photo of herself and her late father Joseph on the wall beside her. She looks over at it with melancholy eyes. The interior is a classic Italian restaurant with its white tablecloths and bread plates waiting for hungry diners. The establishment serves traditional Italian fare like clams oreganata, cacciatore, traditional Italian soups and salads, to name a few. For Ferragosto, the restaurant will have normal indoor service and will substitute their outdoor dining with pizzas and alcoholic beverages for sale.
On a late August afternoon, the avenue bustles with Fordham University students and locals alike. Besides the impeccable quality of goods, is the warmth in service. It’s the store vendors greeting people with a “hey-how-you-doin’” and a “what-can I get for-ya?” that really puts the stamp of New York charm on the experience.
But it’s not just Italians anymore. Albanians have lived in Little Italy for years and have also opened their own establishments in the neighborhood. At the northeast corner of Arthur and Cresecent avenues is Prince Coffee House where old Albanian men can be seen socializing while drinking coffee and chain smoking away. In recent years, the neighborhood has seen a rise in Mexican immigrants as well and they too have opened businesses on the avenue. There are even newer establishments like ramen shops and frozen yogurt, a more modern trend in American dining.
One thing is for sure, there will be no shortage of things to eat.
Grab a friend, grab a date, grab your family and come on over to the Bronx for a day of food, fun and tradition. You don’t have to be Italian; you just have to be hungry.
Reach ET Rodriguez at elbatamarar@gmail.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
