At Di Abruzzo Italian Market in Denton, meats and sausages hang in casings above the deli counter, which is full of neat rows of homemade meatballs and butchered cutlets of veal, pork and Angus beef. On the far end of the counter sits a whole Parmesan wheel, which Santarelli intends to keep just for the aroma. The scent of fresh-baked bread wafts through the kitchen doors, while imported olive oil line the shelves.
For transplants from the Northeast, particularly of Italian descent, this smells like home.
Di Abruzzo is entering its third month in residence on South Elm Street in Denton. While there are plenty of restaurants in North Texas serving Italian food, Santarelli says none offer the meals he grew up eating, made from recipes passed down from his grandmother, who hailed from Italy’s Abruzzo region.
Customers can order a freshly made sandwich and pass the wait browsing the aisles lined with imported pasta, cookies, wines, sodas and more. Try The Roman, an homage to the sandwich common amongst street vendors in the city for which it was named, with a chicken cutlet layered with fresh mozzarella, thin-sliced prosciutto, topped with arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. For the ambitious eaters, order the meatball hoagie with four house-made meatballs, each a quarter pound in size.
Denton local and market regular Ryan Marko always gets a Caprese sandwich with prosciutto and a chocolate chip cannoli. “They never disappoint,” he said.
Unlike other businesses, Santarelli has no interest in putting his own spin on the menu or creating new dishes. He’s a purist. The market is a shrine to his roots and culture.
“These are my family’s recipes. They’re not mine to create,” he said.
He’s a perfectionist, too. Santarelli runs the shop by the hard rule that he only cooks what he knows the taste of, and nothing makes it out of the kitchen without his approval. As any tradition-abiding Italian will tell you, they who disrespect Granny’s recipes can face the wrath of their ancestors’ spirits. It’s equal parts love and fear of the wooden spoon that seasons the recipes.
For roughly five weeks, Santarelli trained the staff on the fine details of wine and cheese. They learned which grapes go into each blend, the region they’re farmed in and even how the care of animals can alter the taste of cheese. He wants his employees to share in the taste memory of recipes so they can appreciate the history in the process and feel the same pride he does.
But he’s not worried about anyone walking away with the knowledge. “You can’t replicate what I grew up with," he says.
The mother of one of the shop’s employees stopped on her way out to tell Santarelli how much the place reminds her of growing up in New York. For him, that’s the best compliment he can get.
Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Santarelli grew up cooking Sunday dinners with his mom and grandmother. He spent his high school years around Atlantic City, New Jersey, bouncing for a club at night and working the front deli counter in the morning.
In a region where family-owned Italian delis abound, what Santarelli loved most was the collaborative effort among the shops and the lack of competition. Everybody had their specialty — even if there was some crossover in product — that they honored among one another. It's not uncommon for one shop owner to walk down the street to grab a coffee and cannoli from another shop before opening his own for the day. Locals shop multiple delis in a single trip for the best sausage, the best marinara or the best pastries.
This is the sense of community that Santarelli wants to offer Denton with Di Abruzzo. He plans to open another branch in Frisco and expand from there if he can. In the coming months, Santarelli and his team hope to introduce a limited-seating, all-inclusive dinner paired with wines.
Keep an eye on Di Abruzzo’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for updates.
Di Abruzzo Italian Market, 508 S. Elm St., No. 105, Denton, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday, Closed Sunday
