The Big Heart Behind The Big Sandwich
Once a small boy restocking the soda cooler, grating the cheese and refilling the bread crumbs station for his immigrant parents’ local Italian deli, Roberto Rossi now continues his family’s legacy while building his own with the nearly half century old family business.
“Rossi & Sons is an extension of how [my siblings and I] grew up,” said Roberto Rossi, co-owner and manager of Rosticceria Rossi & Sons and Alimentari Rossi & Sons. “We were raised next door to the original deli and we were just brought up in the business and it was always there.”
From the smoked turkey, hot pepper jam and sun-dried tomato pesto stuffed between two thick slices of warm Italian bread known as La Carina to a vegetarian sandwich filled with grilled artichoke, roasted tomato and a herb aioli, Rosticceria Rossi & Sons is a sandwich sanctuary with a warm aroma of home.
What began as a small grocery store stocked with Italian goods in the late 1970s run by Giovanni and Angelina Rossi and relative Victor Trocino, Rosticceria Rossi & Sons has become the heart of South Clover Street in Poughkeepsie.
“We make everything from scratch and each sandwich is unique, which is what we have always wanted,” Rossi said. “We execute 500 sandwiches a day during the week and 600 to 700 sandwiches on the weekend.”
Alongside brothers Fabio and Mauro Rossi, Roberto Rossi manages the busy deli, and recently the brothers opened Alimentari Rossi & Sons, an authentic Italian kitchen and bakery that produces artisan loaves of bread to freshly made pastries. This second location on Eastdale Ave doesn’t serve as a duplicate of the original location, but rather is a “professional kitchen with a full culinary staff and a workspace to handle the volume of business we do,” Rossi said.
Even after finishing college, Roberto Rossi continued to gravitate towards the food and drink industry that provides people with hospitality.
“I like this lifestyle and the camaraderie you have with guests,” he said. “I enjoy food and drink. It’s an essential figure in our lives, it’s how we meet people, and how our families connect. I’m Italian and that’s how we communicate,” he said. “We are presented with hurried and difficult situations all day and deal with customers coming in and going out; I’m good at doing those things.”
With a staff of 50 company-wide, Rossi and his brothers have evolved the sustainability of the business, which Rossi says is paramount to keeping the business stable. It was a long time coming for the brothers to expand the business especially following the pandemic; however, the goal is not to necessarily open more stores, but to continue to share the sons’ Italian heritage and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Besides sandwiches, the storefronts offer anywhere from breakfast panini to mozzarella bowls and stuffed breads that can be made for a midday meal or catered for a special event.
If you find yourself perusing through menus of various eateries in Poughkeepsie to find a satisfying meal to fill your stomach, you can treat yourself to a Rossi favorite: The Cuban or Pork & Rob.
Rosticceria Rossi & Sons Deli, open during weekdays 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., closed on Sundays, located at 45 South Clover Street, Poughkeepsie; (845) 471–0654, www.rossideli.com.
