Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/139333
Jerusalem Supermarket Morris Park fascinating culinary curiosities—like the many brands of prepackaged snack seeds that also sell well. "Dried watermelon seeds are a treat in Egypt," Jadallah says. "And in Turkey, pumpkin seeds are popular." All the meat products are halal, and the store even sells beer—a nonalcoholic variety, that is. Jadallah says the no-frills shop (which also sells Middle Eastern DVDs and hookah pipes) does not get many visitors from out of the neighborhood, but he welcomes more traffic. "Our food is very healthy, and our products are all authentic," he says. One hitch is that it's not an easy place to get to, requiring a haul on the subway or drive along gritty White Plains Road. But if authentic Middle Eastern provisions are what you're after, put Jerusalem Trading Corporation's Jerusalem Supermarket on your list. 1827 White Plains Rd., Bronx, N.Y.; 718.319.1101 PHOTOS: ESTHER CRAIN Teitel Brothers Fine Imported Specialty Products Belmont Browsing the aisles of this 800-square-foot shop is like strolling through a Middle Eastern bazaar. Barrels of imported dates, nuts and wheat occupy one corner; a few feet away is a refrigerator stocked with feta cheese and labneh (yogurt cheese) spread. Jars of olives, pickled grape leaves and luncheon meats bearing Arabic labels pack the shelves. And the exotic aroma? It's from the bins filled with fresh ground cumin, anise seeds and other spices. Not surprisingly, most of the customers of this 5-year-old emporium are recent Middle Eastern immigrants who have settled in the neighborhood. "When a person from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon or another Middle Eastern country comes in, they feel very much at home because all the products are familiar to them," explains Samir Jadallah, who manages Jerusalem Supermarket with an owner and a few other employees. Jadallah says that some nonArabic local residents shop there too, drawn by the fresh pita, the wide variety of olive oils and basmati rice, all best sellers that are priced lower than at nearby convenience stores and supermarkets. A 10-pound bag of basmati runs $12.99; ground turmeric goes for $5.99 a pound. Almost all of the business is retail-driven, and everything is imported except the bread, which is delivered fresh from a bakery in New Jersey. Tucked among the canned baba ghanoush, falafel mix and tahini sauce are some Little has changed at Teitel Brothers since 1915, when two Italian-speaking Austrians opened this 850-squarefoot Italian specialty shop on Arthur Avenue in Belmont, the Bronx's answer to Little Italy. And the throngs of regulars like it that way. Cured meats like prosciutto, mortadella and soppressata hang from the ceiling; pyramids of canned tomatoes and jars of their own Francesco brand pasta sauce line the aisles. Customers assemble at the long front counter, waiting to order sweet and savory homemade sausage, imported wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano and soft balls of buffalo mozzarella, and other old-school staples from a place many consider to be the best Italian provisions store in the city. "We've been doing this for almost a hundred years, serving the local community, and now new costumers come down from the suburbs of Westchester and Connecticut just for our food," says Gilbert Teitel, co-owner and son of one of the original owners. "Retail makes up about 60 percent of our base, but the rest is wholesale, mostly to area restaurants who buy the two types of olive oil and the San Marzano stewed tomatoes made especially for us in Italy that we import." The olive oil runs from $21.99 to $26.99 a gallon, depending on whether it's Italian or Sicilian style (the latter costs more). And a 28-ounce can of certified San Marzano tomatoes goes for $2.69. The shop also runs a thriving online business where products can be ordered and shipped across the country. Teitel Brothers is a feast for the senses, also stocking several types of pasta, canned beans, imported olives, bread, almond paste, pepperoni sticks, gourmet coffee, spices, chocolate and just about anything else an Italian food lover could possibly want. It's a proud link to the old-school Italian neighborhood and its generations who grew up on quality food, low prices and mom-and-pop service. 2372 Arthur Ave., Bronx, N.Y.; 718.733.9400; teitelbros.com JULY/AUGUST 2013 127