In April, DeCicco & Sons opened its largest market in Westchester – a 50,000 square foot superstore at the Edge-on-Hudson development in Sleepy Hollow.
It’s a bi-level industrial space containing an open European-style food hall on the ground floor, and two event spaces on the second floor – each with its own kitchen.
A bar and restaurant, complete with a patio overlooking the Hudson River, rounds out the top floor. You can get everything from burgers, to salads, to pizza and wings – and there’s also a kid’s menu.
Chris DeCicco, vice president of DeCicco & Sons and son of the founder, says this is just a preview menu that will be expanded – and they’re also planning live music. “It’s also a community meeting place for the town. “
The facility is topped off by a light-filled cathedral ceiling. “It’s uplifting. The store is so grand, once you’re in here, you won’t want to leave,” says founder John DeCicco Sr.
And it’s not just the fresh produce that’s green – the new market has been built with a variety of environmentally-friendly features in keeping with LEED certification standards. LEED is the globally recognized symbol of achievement in sustainability. Those green features include the company’s largest solar array, and a state-of-the-art natural refrigeration system that uses the heat expelled from that system for heat and hot water.
But despite all the bells and whistles, the new market has the same age-old values that have been a recipe for success since DeCicco & Sons was founded in the Bronx back in 1973. It all started when John DeCicco Sr. convinced his family to acquire a little grocery store in the Woodlawn section. He was just a delivery boy then – but now he’s in charge of a successful chain that employs upward of 1,500 people. The Sleepy Hollow store alone has brought 150 new jobs to the village.
Times have changed, but DeCicco & Sons’ guiding principles haven’t. “Be kind and good to the customers, listen to them, and provide great products and great service,” says DeCicco Sr. “I will bag groceries to mingle with the customers and hear what they need. I also train the staff that way. I train the young workers, and they are so excited.”
This is their 11th store, and like all the others, it’s tailored to the community. Sleepy Hollow has large Hispanic and Portuguese populations, so DeCiccos sells a wide variety of specialty products catering to those customers – including chorizos, a wide array of Goya items, and baked goods inspired by Portugal.
The new location also pays homage to the site’s industrial past as a General Motors factory that made cars, trucks, and even aircraft. At the front door you’re greeted by a vintage 1955 Chevrolet pickup truck in mint condition that was built right at that plant.
Plus, pictures by local artists decorate the walls, and some of the actual costumes worn by the likes of Christopher Walken from the film Sleepy Hollow are displayed throughout the store.
But the food is still the star. The deli counter has more than 500 items, ranging from fresh pasta to imported olives, to bestselling items like roast beef, chicken cutlets and chicken salad.
The store also sells lots of Italian delicacies, but their most popular item overall may surprise you. “Homemade guacamole is our best-selling item. People love it and it has very loyal followers. You’d think it would be the sausages or meatballs. We sell a lot of those, but more guacamole,” says DeCicco Sr.
There’s also a made-to-order salad bar that’s popular with the lunch crowd and freshly made sandwiches unlike any other.
DeCicco’s has teamed with Boar’s Head to create what they’re calling the first sandwich smoker in the county. You can choose from two varieties – hickory smoked, or apple-wood smoked.
They also have a carving station with a twist: They fire-roast pastrami, ham or turkey right before your eyes, then sell it by the pound or in a sandwich. They say that’s only the second one in the country for Boar’s Head, the other is in the Midwest.
DeCicco’s is also known for its massive selection of cheeses from around the world, and beers from places near and far.
Chris DeCicco says they sell roughly 2,500 different types of beer. He’s an expert on the topic – in fact he could be considered beer royalty – as he’s been knighted in Belgium for promoting that country’s illustrious beer culture.
You can end your day with a beer from the second-floor bar or start things off with coffee on the first floor. People grab-and-go their caffeine fix and baked goods, then walk right to the train station or their cars.
DeCicco also gives back to the community. Each store has a PTA rebate program, where 1% of the sales go to a school district of the customer’s choosing. DeCicco says they’ve raised more than $2 million for the schools with that program. They also give out 300 turkeys to students in need at Westchester Community College each Thanksgiving and raise money for a variety of charities including the American Heart Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, children’s hospitals, and they’re a sponsor of the breast cancer walk at Manhattanville College.
Every DeCicco store is open seven days a week, and they only close three days a year – Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
- deciccoandsons.com
