Made in New York since 1980

In 1970 at 17 years old, Andrea Ceriello came from Italy with his parents and two brothers. He had studied business at a liceo in Naples, but speaking no English, he began working in a pork store in Brooklyn called–Suino d’Oro with brothers John & Louie. After a short while there, he moved to the 5th Avenue A&S Pork Store in Park Slope, Brooklyn. A&S was a powerhouse of the business and afforded him many more opportunities to learn the business. He learned everything from making fresh mozzarella and dry sausage to business finances and management. After working in four expansion A&S stores from Staten Island to Glen Cove, he opened his own in Williston Park in 1980.

After a few years, Andy moved away from the A&S group and changed the name to A Ceriello Pork Store and later to Ceriello Fine Foods. 

The 400-square-foot shop grew its reputation steadily through the 1980s and 1990s, expanding into a 1,000-square-foot retail space in 2000 with a small-batch manufacturing kitchen, warehouse, and office space. The Ceriello name became synonymous with specialty foods and quality in the Williston Park area where customers knew they’d find the freshest meats, best deli and highest level of personalized service from Andy and his staff.

Following the A&S model, Ceriello Fine Foods licensed  several locations from 1988 to 2015, with the first opened by Andy’s brother Mike in 1988. There were stores in Wantagh, Plainedge, Douglaston, Merrick, Wainscott, Seaford and Medford, NJ. This model allowed the Ceriello reputation to spread across Long Island while Andy focused on the flagship location.

In 1999, Andy opened the first store he would own and operate beyond Williston Park: a location in the Grand Central Market at Grand Central Terminal. The market concept was supposed to bring the best of NY together in one place with Ceriello representing both the Italian-American deli and the specialty butcher. After 27 years, the GCT location is scheduled to close in 2026.

The Grand Central Terminal renovation project was considered a great success and the Market was used as a model for urban redevelopment projects across the country. Ceriello was invited into communities from Baltimore to Milwaukee. From 2003 to 2019, the company opened locations in markets eager for quality Italian specialty foods. Stores operated in Baltimore (Towson & Brewer’s Hill), Long Branch on the New Jersey shore, Newport News in Virginia, Ardmore in Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Delafield). Each represented Andy’s idea of bringing traditional Italian food to American communities. He believed that Italians “feed the world”.

Through periods of expansion and evolution, the company learned invaluable lessons about sustainable growth and the importance of maintaining quality across all operations. By 2022, Ceriello Fine Foods had returned to its roots with two strong locations: the beloved Williston Park flagship store and the Grand Central Market.

Today, Ceriello Fine Foods operates as a second-generation family business under the leadership of Andy’s daughter, Tina Ceriello. The company has evolved to meet modern demands while honoring its heritage—developing an e-commerce platform and expanding its small-batch manufacturing of pasta sauces and seasonings for national distribution. Many team members have been with Ceriello for 25-30 years, a testament to the family culture Andy built from the beginning. We have families shopping with us into the 3rd and 4th generation. It’s a tremendous honor.

From that first 300-square-foot pork store in 1980 to a multi-location specialty food destination with its own manufacturing line, Ceriello Fine Foods has remained true to Andrea’s founding principles: uncompromising craft, a family of customers, and the bontà of a laden dinner table.