Mazzaferro Meats & Deli reopens

Mazzaferro Meats & Deli traces its history back to the early 1900s and a pig farm.

The farm was run by the current owners' grandfather and his four sons, who sold products out of their home on Railroad Street. The business then evolved into the Rome institution that residents know today.

“It’s our livelihood, and there’s the passion of carrying it on from generation to generation,” co-owner Joseph Mazzaferro said. “That's the big thing."

Joseph Mazzaferro and his brother Brian opened the deli at 7824 Ridge Mills Rd. in 1995. Last April, the building burned down in a tragic fire, and the owners had operated out of a smaller storefront on Railroad Street (the Mazzaferro family’s ancestral home) since June 2022, while making plans to reopen the original location.

The community institution reopened its doors on Monday, August, 21, 16 months after the fire.

Joseph Mazzaferro referred to the Railroad Street satellite as a “mini Mazzie’s.”

He said that his staff, who are like a family, helped transform it from a wholesale space into a small but fully functional deli operation.

Employees with construction knowledge helped to build, while other employees assisted in securing equipment and materials. The brothers made efforts to retain as much staff as they could during the period between the fire and the reopening.

“We're very tight-knit,” Mazzaferro said. “Even though we had tough times, we got closer during it.”

Although brothers Brian and Joseph are the ones officially running the business, the rest of their family is very involved. While their children have careers of their own, the next generation of Mazzaferros works at the deli as much as they can, especially over the past 16 months.

“They want to help out, and they want to make sure it goes right,” Joseph Mazzaferro said.

The Rome community stepped up following the fire as well.

The community quickly leapt into action, starting a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the business’ expenses and patronizing the satellite location. As of Friday, August 25, $11,255 was raised, which exceeded the $10,000 that the campaign initially sought.

On Thursday, August 24, Mazzaferro's parking lot was packed with cars.

Customers streamed in and out carrying white paper bags or large catering trays. Inside, three cashiers served a line of patrons that stretched across the store.

Rome resident Becky Tadda, who has been patronizing the deli since she moved to the area in 2001, expressed her delight at the store fully reopening.

“I think it's good for the community, and I'm just glad that they're back open,” Tadda said.

Local resident Ray Chmielewski has been coming to Mazzaferro Meats & Deli since it opened. He said he missed the store, and is glad to have it back.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “They’re good people, and they deserve it.”

The newly rebuilt structure is considerably larger than the old one, and the Mazzaferros want to take advantage of the space to expand their offerings and explore new products. Joseph said that they hope to use their new patio space to smoke and grill meats. He envisions selling house-made brisket and barbecue chicken meals next summer. They also want to expand their grab and go and hot meal options.

The new store has a self-serve hot food bar with daily homemade specials, including a weekly Italian day.

Business has been booming the first week of the store's opening – Joseph said that while they used to sell three full pans of lasagna on a typical Italian day, this week, they sold twice that much.

For now, Railroad Street is closed while the Mazzaferros focus on hiring and training new staff to support their expanded business.

But Joseph hopes to reopen the “mini Mazzie’s” as an additional storefront as soon as possible.