The Long Island-based gourmet grocery will celebrate its grand opening in Ramsey on Friday.
RAMSEY -- Long Island-based specialty grocer Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace opened its first Garden State location on Friday.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at 9 a.m in Ramsey, marking the Italian-themed gourmet grocer's first foray into the state.
"We thought this was the perfect location to introduce Uncle Giuseppe's to New Jersey," co-founder Carl DelPrete said Wednesday. "The surrounding communities are wonderful."
The chain, which started in 1998 in East Meadow and has five stores on Long Island, took over the almost 50,000 square foot space of a vacant Pathmark in Triangle Plaza on Route 17 North.
The site features Italian staples, from its mozzarella room, pasta kitchen and a pizza parlor, while still offering all the goods found in a traditional supermarket, such as dairy and produce.
"We have everything you find in other supermarkets but done the old-fashioned way with good service and products," Marketing Manager Johanna Zucaro said.
Customers flocked to check out the store during a "soft" opening last week, where 250 full and part-time employees were on hand to give samples of their most popular products, including their "Holy Cannoli dip."
"The opening wasn't as soft as we wanted it to be, which was a good thing," DelPrete said.
The store also features an espresso bar, a candy bar featuring chocolate fountains and bakery bread brought in from the Bronx's Little Italy on Arthur Avenue. Also on hand is the grocer's brand of pasta sauce and other Italian items.
The 82-year-old Italian-American Dick Farelli joked that he wished he had an uncle Giuseppe in his family growing up.
"Unbelievable, you look around and you name it they got it, everything looks fresh and the service is incredible," said Farelli, a Fair Lawn resident. "I never experienced or seen this in another supermarket."
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