BOHEMIA, N.Y. — Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, a rapidly growing Italian specialty grocer, hosted a grand opening bash on Friday at Sayville Plaza on Sunrise Highway here.
The store opening brought much fanfare, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a 900-pound fresh provolone cheese and custom-made-to-order cannolis for sampling. The Long Island food bank, Island Harvest Food Bank, was also on hand to accept Uncle Giuseppe’s donation of 200 Thanksgiving turkeys.
Known for making fresh mozzarella and selling a variety of brand-name spices and seasonings, this high-end Italian specialty grocer offers a unique shopping experience.
The 39,000-square-foot Bohemia location is the grocer’s 12th store and eighth on Long Island and will be followed by two more Long Island openings in 2026, in Greenvale and Levittown. To support its expansion, the chain recently acquired a 53,600-square-foot industrial warehouse facility in Edgewood, N.Y.
The specialty store is widely known for its selection of meat and house-made Italian sausage. Its deli serves traditional Italian dishes, and the produce section offers domestic, imported and organic fruits and vegetables. The seafood counter features live lobsters and freshly caught seafood. The store also offers Italian baked goods, cheeses, candy and pasta.
“When we opened our first store in 2001 we made a conscious decision to create an Italian-centric market, reminiscent of the experience we had as kids where we grew up — the Little Italys of the world, Brooklyn and the Bronx,” said Carl DelPrete, Uncle Giuseppe’s co-founder and chief executive officer, who started the business with brother Phillip, who passed away in October at the age of 64.
Upon entering the store, shoppers are greeted with towering displays, Italian décor and signage, and the inviting scent of sauce simmering in a pot.
The grocer is also known for playing a mix of classic and contemporary Italian melodies from such singers as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Many of the stores feature live music. Behind glass counters, fresh pasta and creamy mozzarella are created while customers look on and employees offer generous samples with the warmth and enthusiasm of a Sunday family dinner. A bell is rung in the bakery every 30 minutes when fresh bread comes out of the oven.
The Bohemia store is packed with all the hallmarks that give a customer the full Uncle Giuseppe’s experience. The café, deli, in-store pizzeria, and a large organic and natural grocery section operate as a full-service supermarket with options to eat in the store. “Each Uncle Giuseppe’s store is built to wow sight, smell and taste alike,” DelPrete pointed out.
An Uncle G’s café is near the front of the store. “So when you walk in, you can order a cappuccino and do your shopping with your cappuccino,” DelPrete said. “All our espresso, frozen and specialty seasonal drinks rival any coffee shop or coffee market out there.”
The company is also investing in ovens to bake artisanal breads in-store, alongside its fresh pasta made with specialty Italian flour as well as responding to customer requests by increasing its selection of natural and organic foods to its product offerings.
Lastly, the chain just entered into a partnership with Goldbelly, an online food marketplace, to ship gift boxes of popular Uncle Giuseppe’s products, such as pasta, cheese, cookies, cakes and pies throughout the United States and Canada.
