VERO BEACH \u2014 For John Iarusso, Nonna Lina\u2019s Italian Deli is more than a business. It is a tribute, a promise and a piece of home served on semolina bread.<\/p>\n
Iarusso, 63, moved to Florida in 2020 from the Bronx, New York, bringing with him a lifetime of food knowledge, neighborhood pride and deep respect for \u201cthe old ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deli is named for his grandmother, Pasqualina Pellegrini, from Avellino, Italy, who raised him from a young age and shaped the man he became.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe taught me loyalty. She taught me respect. And she taught me family value,\u201d Iarusso said.<\/p>\n
Raised in an old-fashioned Italian household, Iarusso said his grandmother\u2019s faith guided everything.<\/p>\n
Her lesson was simple and lasting: \u201cYou fear God first, then everything else will follow in line.\u201d That foundation remains at the heart of Nonna Lina\u2019s, where Iarusso works to serve every customer with warmth, dignity and food that stirs memory.<\/p>\n
The deli, operating with the help of store manager Melissa Cruz, has quickly become a familiar stop for customers craving the flavors of New York. Iarusso said many guests walk in and immediately feel transported \u2014 back to the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, North Jersey or Connecticut, back to neighborhood delis where fresh bread, pastries and friendly conversation were part of daily life.<\/p>\n
Some customers, he said, have reacted with tears of joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made me feel like I\u2019m back home,\u201d he said customers often tell him.<\/p>\n
Nonna Lina\u2019s specializes in heroes, not subs, hoagies or grinders. Its signature sandwich, the Italian Vero, is a nod to both New York tradition and its new Florida home. The deli brings in semolina bread from Staten Island, including twisted loaves, long loaves, hero rolls and hearty meat bread stuffed with pepperoni, salami and cheese. Iarusso also brought back old-style Kaiser rolls, the kind he remembers from childhood, crisp and golden outside, soft and satisfying inside.<\/p>\n
The cases are filled with indulgent Italian and New York favorites, including cannolis, eclairs, Napoleons, black-and-white cookies, crumb cakes and Junior\u2019s cheesecakes from Brooklyn. Cannolis are among the deli\u2019s biggest draws, served either \u201cFlorida style\u201d or \u201cBronx style,\u201d finished with chocolate chips and powdered sugar.<\/p>\n
Behind the counter, old family recipes still matter. Iarusso makes his grandmother\u2019s Bolognese sauce and handmade pasta, honoring the way she cooked \u2014 by eye, never with measuring cups. The deli also offers delicious homemade potato salad, chicken salad, meatballs made with fresh parsley and basil, antipasto and seasonal specialties such as anise cookies and honey balls.<\/p>\n
Iarusso said he researched Vero Beach before opening and found a community that would understand what he was trying to build. Now, he sees the deli as part of that community\u2019s fabric.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t have picked a better city,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phone orders are welcomed, and delivery is available for larger orders. For Iarusso, every sandwich, pastry and greeting carries the same mission: respect, quality and a smile.<\/p>\n
Nonna Lina\u2019s Italian Market, Deli & Bakery is located at 2950 9 Street SW in Vero Beach near the new Aldi. You can call in your order at 772-492-8772 and find them on Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VERO BEACH \u2014 For John Iarusso, Nonna Lina\u2019s Italian Deli is more than a business. It is a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334539,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,125770,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-334538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-dining-reviews","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}