PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Philadelphia's DiBruno Bros. opens their seventh location this month in Wayne, Pa.
"We had this plan prior to the pandemic," owner Bill Mignucci said.
Waiting and waiting for the pandemic to be over, then waiting some more -- "It was touch and go," he said. "This project was start-and-stop, probably three or four times."
Mignucci says the 8,000-square-foot location at 385 W. Lancaster Avenue was five stores renovated into one: "A Kitchen Capers, a dry cleaners, a Rita's Water Ice, a laundromat and a nail salon."
Sections of the store are designated for specific things.
"We have an arrosto," he said. "An arrosto is our take on a rotisserie."
There is a cucina bar, he said, "which is a pizza and grilled cheese bar. [Also], we'll be slicing and carving Iberico hams and prosciutto every day, making fresh mozzarella."
And Mignucci says they're bringing in new items as well, such as "seacuterie."
"We've all heard of charcuterie," he said, "but seacuterie is cured seafood offerings, (which) in Italy and Spain are very popular."
This includes mussels, anchovies, sardines. One specialty is cured octopus in jelly, sliced like a thin salami.
But their ultimate specialty, which is also the centerpiece of the store: cheese.
"My grandfather started DiBruno Bros. [in the Italian Market] as The House of Cheese, and we will always be The House of Cheese."
For more on the evolution of DiBruno Bros. from a shop in the Italian Market to what it is today, listen to the KYW Newsradio original podcast What’s Cooking on the Audacy app.