When Joe Fiore decided to open his first deli, he didn’t look to Manhattan or start from scratch. Instead, he looked homeward—to the Bronx, where he’d spent years running his restaurant Antonio’s Trattoria, and to the traditions that made him fall in love with food in the first place.
“I wanted to do what we do but on a smaller scale, and get it out there,” he explains, sitting in his car on a quiet Rye afternoon—the makeshift office of a man still settling into his newest venture.
Just three months old, Antonio’s Italian Deli & Market opened where MKT used to be and has already become a fixture in the Rye community. Locals from the moms’ Facebook groups around Westchester are spreading the word about the fresh sandwiches and hospitality that define the space. For Fiore and his co-owner Laura Vecchio—who brings her own extensive culinary background to the operation—the move to Westchester felt natural. “We were looking somewhere in Westchester, whether it be Rye or Harrison,” Fiore says, “and when we saw this space, I just loved the little community feel. It felt like a hometown deli.”
The Bronx Difference
What distinguishes a Bronx deli from a deli anywhere else? It starts with an obsession over details that matter. The fresh mozzarella, made six days a week by Marco Russo, arrives daily on sandwiches still warm from being made. The bread—hero rolls and ciabatta—comes up from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx each day. The cold cuts are imported from Italy. There’s also Calabrese sausage and focaccia for pizza made in the Bronx and finished in-house.
If the bread is wrong, the sandwich is wrong. “Bread is 80% of the experience,” Fiore says simply. This kind of philosophy separates a deli that’s just functional from one that becomes part of the fabric of a neighborhood.
But beyond the sourcing and technique, there’s something less tangible. “I don’t want to call it Bronx charm,” Fiore reflects, “but it’s like, ‘Hey, how are you? Hey, buddy.’ Like we’ve known each other forever. It’s a really warm kind of attitude.”
Hot Handhelds
The Maxx Sandwich, which is a chicken cutlet sandwich that’s fried fresh to order and topped with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and pesto, is the clear star. “It might take you a little to get your sandwich, but when you get it, it just came out of being fried,” Fiore says. Customers are also buying plain fried chicken cutlets by the half-dozen or dozen, a lifeline for busy parents who’ve hung up their aprons.
The chicken parm with vodka sauce served alongside penne is another standout—essentially two meals in one. Breakfast draws crowds for bacon, egg, and cheese on a club roll. For dinner, there’s fresh Borgatti’s ravioli (also sold by the box to take home), handmade meatballs, and the house-made focaccia pizza with tons of topping options.
What’s Next for Antonio’s
As the dust settles after opening, Fiore is already thinking bigger. He’s planning to expand the hot food area to roll out daily specials—stuffed peppers, stuffed artichokes, short rib dishes, and other old-school Italian classics that can’t quite fit in the current limited space. “Today we have a few autumn dishes, including a sweet pumpkin salad,” Fiore notes.
The deli is named after his late father, Antonio, who left quite an impression that’s now showing up in the warmth of the place; it’s in how Vecchio knows regulars by name, and in how quickly this little corner of Rye has started to feel like home.
“I feel like I’ve been here for 10 years,” Fiore says, “and it’s barely three months, in the best way.”
Antonio’s Italian Deli & Market
544 Milton Road, Rye
Website
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