When Rob Bonaccorsi was 10 years old, his mom would send him to Alpine Food Shop to get sliced salami and other staples, rather than crossing busy North Avenue to the new Dominick’s grocery store.
“They sold milk and eggs and provisions like that, just basic necessities,” said Bonaccorsi, who now lives in Oak Park. “We grew up coming to shop here for our family. There’s always been that kind of bond.”
It took lots of trips to supply a family of 12 children, but Rob never guessed that he’d end up owning the shop at 7538 W. North Ave.
In 2000 Bonaccorsi and two of his brothers, John and Rich, along with their wives, purchased the store from the Barbi family who had opened it up in 1955. Since Rob had worked in a restaurant for a couple of years out of college, he became the face of the operation. His wife Amy Godino and sister-in-law Kathy Bonaccorsi run it with him.
They kept the store and its menu pretty much the way Anna and Louie Barbi handed it over.
Sandwiches fly out of the place so fast that they get, sometimes, three deliveries of bread from Turano Bakery per day. Inside that fresh bread goes salami, capicollo, bologna, mortadella, turkey, ham, prosciutto, soppressata, roast beef, corned beef or a combo of ham, salami and capicollo that goes by the flagship name, “The Alpine.”
The new owners did make an addition to the menu.
“We added a veggie sandwich because prior to that the veggie option was a cheese sandwich,” Bonaccorsi said. “I have a couple of sisters, and I was a veggie for a little while. I thought we can do a little better than that. I worked on a recipe for the roasted portabella mushrooms. And it’s become a pretty popular thing.”
There are also made in-house pasta and potato salads. Pantry items fill one wall of the space with dried pastas, chips, cookies, drinks, ice cream and Italian specialties. They make sauces that are available frozen to take home for a quick meal.
Beyond the family and manager, Joe Martinez, the rest of the staff is mostly part-time high school and college students. This developed from Bonaccorsi’s two sons who worked in the store.
“We were like, do you have any friends who can help out?” he said. “We would employ kids who live nearby, some from OPRF, some from Fenwick, who could just come in and help us close at the end of the day.”
There is a youthful energy when you enter, and you can depend on a friendly greeting as staff asks you whether you called in your order or not.
“We really try to impress that upon our staff,” Bonaccorsi said. “We let them know that it’s important. Now more than ever it’s very valuable to have face-to-face contact with people.”
There’s something else about opening the door. While Jimmy John’s has signs that say “free smells,” at Alpine the scent also has the power to transport many returning customers.
“Some people just crack the door open, they pause [and take a deep breath], like there’s that blast of memory,” Bonaccorsi said. “They say, ‘I just want to take in the air, the atmosphere,’ before they order.”
Then they get down to savoring the deliciousness Alpine has served up for 70 years in Elmwood Park.
“We’re in and of the community. My mom’s still around the corner,” Bonaccorsi said.
Buon Appetito
7538 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park
Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tues-Sat: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sun: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
