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/328566
the family tradition by helping to run both her family's uptown and downtown stores. While the variety is vast—think Eataly—Agata & Valentina has a friendlier, more intimate scale. An impressive selection of pre- pared foods complements a controlled list of grocery offerings. "We work hard to select the best prepackaged products and ingredients from all over the world, so customers don't have to choose between, say, 20 olive oils," Musco explains. "We narrow down the best at different price points, so shopping is easier." To give back to the community, the store has arranged a nightly food pickup with City Harvest, a local food-rescue organization. The nonprofit collects the store's unsold perishables and prepared food for distribution to food banks and soup kitchens, so nothing goes to waste, says store manager Jay Patraker. Location and Layout… The 6,000-square-foot, single-level Greenwich Village store (with 4,500 square feet devoted to product) was once a run-of-the-mill D'Agastino supermarket on a quiet, resi- dential street adjacent to New York University. The Muscos liked the family-centered neighborhood, and they spent a year and a half updating and modernizing the space before opening. The unassum- ing exterior gives way to a clean, bright interior with mom-and-pop touches, such as soft chandelier lighting, brick walls, and wood ceil- ing beams. The store borrows some successful features from the uptown location. The main entrance opens into a separate cafe offering coffee, salads, sandwiches, and a hot-food bar that serves a la carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as prix fixe takeaway specials (from $7.99 to $15.99). The main store is organized in a maze of departments: first, fresh and organic fruits and veggies; then meat, poultry, and fish; a hot prepared foods, soups, and pizza counter; "When we decided to open the downtown store, our goal was to combine the best Italian-inspired specialty foods with traditional grocery items, so we would be that one place local residents could rely on for all their food needs," explains Valentina Musco, one-half of the store's namesake and daughter of founders Agata (the other half ) and Joe Musco. Her family's passion for high-quality products along with personalized service has won the store a big fan base—no small feat in a neighborhood bordered by Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, and other major chains. Backstory and Concept… The store has deep roots in New York's gourmet market community. Agata Musco grew up in the specialty industry; her family owns Torrisi Coffee, a century-old Italian retailer and wholesaler. Husband Joseph Musco, a New York City native, comes from a family of cheese importers. The couple opened the first Agata & Valentina in 1993 on First Avenue and 79th Street, along with partner Louis Balducci, grandson of the founders of the renowned Balducci's that got its start on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. Today, Valentina Musco continues Private-label olive oils are imported from Italy; the Greenwich Village store's unassuming exterior gives way to a warm, rustic interior filled with prepared foods, produce, perishables, and imported groceries. "We work hard to select the best prepackaged products and ingredients from all over the world, so customers don't have to choose between, say, 20 olive oils," Musco explains. "We narrow down the best at diferent price points, so shopping is easier." 138 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com 6/4/14 2:57 PM