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A Little Corner of Italy, Here in Pasadena

Roma Italian Deli & Grocery has been offering authentic, hard-to-find Italian food items from the same corner location since 1953

Published on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 | 2:35 pm
 

 

Owner, Rosario Mazzeo

In case you have yet to discover Roma Italian Deli & Grocery, you’re in for a treat.  Put simply, there’s nothing quite like Roma when it comes to authentic Italian cheeses, pastas, breads, wines, meats and groceries.

The first thing you’re likely to notice when you walk into Roma’s is the distinctive aroma emanating from a variety of wines and cheeses. The Deli serves classic Italian fare imported from Italy. In fact, owner Rosario Mazzeo (the store’s mastermind, who’s been working long hours since 1953 importing delicious Italian goods) says he offers 75 kinds of cheeses  here. What’s more – Mazzeo sells cold cuts and fresh produce galore, making this Pasadena deli one special place to visit.

Talking about the cheeses, Mazzeo says, “I have some from Tuscany, from Sicily, from Bologna, from all over…Pecorino, Romano, Parmagiano, Grana Padana,  Gorgonzola, Montinella, Fontina, Asiago … all kinds of cheese.” Definitely, all of the best one can find anywhere in Pasadena.

There aren’t too many shops like this on the West Coast. The original Italian Delis can still be found in New Jersey and New York and some in San Francisco – they are famous for stocking traditional Italian cuisine and deli items. Even if you take Los Angeles as a whole, there are less than a handful of stores remotely similar to Roma. (We have an Italian culinary treasure right here in town.)

Mazzeo even makes his own Italian sausage, fresh and home-made, every single day. There are other items that you’ll find here that you wouldn’t normally find anywhere else, like his homemade ravioli, lasagna, homemade meatballs, tortellini, and gnocchi. 
 
Mazzeo, who is actually Sicilian, imports from Italy constantly and shipments come in all the time – up to three times a month. If you’re into Italian cooking, this is the one deli and grocery in town you won’t want to miss where you can find unusual and authentic ingredients for making great Italian food.

Roma’s crowded aisles offer up shelves-full of imported Italian food products, from wine vinegar and olive oil to pasta and tubes of crushed garlic.  The imported bread crumbs and tomato sauces for making meatballs are to ‘die-for.’

You’ll also find hard-to-find cold cuts, and genuine imported Italian-style meats like Genoa Salami, Soprasada, Prosciutto, and the popular Prosciutto de Santaniera. You can purchase meats by the pound, or ask Mazzeo to create a tasty, made-to-order Italian sandwich on his homemade bread (served with a little oil, never mayonnaise).

In one corner, Mazzeo has a compact wine shop brimming with a wide-ranging selection of Italian wines, including Chiantis, Chianti Classico, Sever, and Amarone…so many kinds of wine!

Mazzeo notes that he keeps his prices low so that the products move quickly out of the store.

Mazzeo says that his is a place that local residents of Pasadena need to try. He says gleefully (with a touch of good, old-fashioned Italian warmth) “Once they try, that’s it.  When they taste, that’s it! They come back!”

The proud owner of Roma says that many of his customers aren’t from Pasadena. It is no surprise that they come from all over California – Santa Monica, San Pedro, even Beverly Hills. Mazzeo attributes this to the fact that most of his food items cannot be found anywhere else – other than Italy, of course!

ROMA ITALIAN DELI & GROCERY
918 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena  (626) 797-7748
Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. To 9 p.m.  Sunday, 8 a.m. To 6 p.m.

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