New owner Dom Procopio grew up working at Dom’s Cherry Street Deli. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
By JIM WILLIS
Some deli owners might be content with a few balloons or some bunting to announce their new ownership.
While Dom’s Cherry Street Deli on Shewsbury Avenue in Tinton Falls does indeed sport a small “under new ownership” sign out front, PieHole appreciates that the new owner has chosen to help announce there’s a new guy in town with a smoker out front, wafting plumes of pecan wood smoke down Shrewsbury Avenue.
PieHole checks out Dom’s Cherry Street Deli (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
We stopped in for a late morning pork roll, egg-and-cheese, and chat with new owner, Dom Procopio.
Procopio worked at the deli, which was owned by his grandfather for 30 years, until he went away to college, and tells PieHole that until recently, his uncle had been running the deli and was looking to sell.
“I graduated college, and taking over the deli just all fell into place,” says Procopio, who took over the business in January.
Besides the smoker out front, Procopio says he’s made a few other tasty and significant changes.
“We’ve got all Boar’s Head cold cuts now, plus we do our own homemade roast beef and turkey,” he says.
“Customers have definitely noticed the changes,” says Procopio. “We’ve gotten very busy, and have doubled our business since making the changes.”
Procopio suggests that lunch customers who want a taste of the changes should try the chicken cutlet BLT ($6.99) or the Padrino: real prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers ($7.99).
Oh, and that pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich ($3.50) we had? Excellent. The pork roll wasn’t rushed off the grill, and acquired the requisite brown crisp.
