photo courtesy Russo’s Italian Market
Carmen Grande, the matriarch of the Grande family, has her own private-label sauces at the market. “You’ll not find anything better!” says her daughter, catering manager Sabrina.
It was a typical Wednesday afternoon at Russo’s Gourmet Foods Market in Wyomissing: Sinatra crooned over the market’s sound system; the indoor Italian courtyard café was filled with guests dining on homemade Italian fare; and shoppers filled the aisles of the market, carts brimming with imported pasta, sauces and olive oils carefully curated and imported from Italy.
The Old Neighborhood
Oh, and there was a catered funeral lunch to plan.
Sabrina Grande Cirandine, catering specialist at Russo’s, was in her element. She is the daughter of Fiorini and Carmen Grande, both of whom immigrated from the Calabria region of Italy in the mid-60s.
“They are the reason that all of this exists,” beamed Cirandine, while Fiorini Grande sat at a nearby table, exchanging laughs with fellow patrons in lyrical Italian.
The funeral luncheon, as it turns out, was for a former co-worker of the elder Grande. Sabrina conducted the conversation effortlessly, switching from Italian to English, and soon there was a small contingency of patrons helping with small details — from hotel rooms to menu suggestions.
“This is why we’re here,” says Cirandine. “We wanted people to know the feel of an Italian neighborhood — have an Italian Market — without going to Philadelphia.”
Regional Focus
The market imports Italian brands typically found in food stores but adds a regional flair by specializing in foods from Calabria, the Grandes’ home town in Italy. “We’ve been featured in news stories in Calabria,” says Cirandine. “We import at least 65 percent of our stock from more than 10 suppliers in that region.”
The market is impressive, but the real “way to the heart” is in the rear of the property. There, a sizable lunch crowd lined up at a hot food counter, where several servers filled containers with homemade, gourmet Italian meals.
And to the right of the hot foods, a well-stocked beer cooler offers patrons an impressive selection of domestic and imported beers.
Shopping Styles
Cirandine loves to watch how guests shop the market. “Men,” she laughs, “go right for the food bar; they know we always have hearty, stick-to-your-ribs food.” Women, she says, take their time before visiting the hot food bar. “We have items here you cannot get anywhere else, and sometimes it takes the women just a bit longer to get to the back of the market.”
In addition to the hot foods, Russo’s has both pizza, olive and salad bars.
The food is delicious, but the authenticity of neighborhood flavor cannot be overstated. And Sabrina, along with her father, revel in that neighborhood feeling.
In fact, Cirandine’s office is a desk placed strategically at the exit of the market. Why? “I want to know our shoppers; I want to interact and make them feel like part of our family,” she says.
“We’re about good, authentic Italian food,” Cirandine asserts, “but we’re also about relationships. We opened the market to give our guests the feelings of family, friendship and good food that our family is blessed to share.”
With more than a decade of loyal customers, the Grande family — Sabrina, her four brothers and sisters, and their parents — have created a little piece of Italy in Berks County.
