Traditional Italian grocer a hit in Canton

Much has changed in the nearly four and a half decades since Alfredo and Rosina Aiello opened Alfredo Aiello Italian Foods in Quincy. Small, local corner grocers have all but disappeared and continue to be replaced by behemoth supermarkets. Little has changed, however, at Alfredo’s.

Sure, the business has grown from the food processing plant and single storefront in Quincy to three independent retail locations, the newest of which opened in Canton at 2182 Washington Street just over a year ago. But otherwise, Alfredo’s has managed to remain a traditional, family-run Italian grocer and food supplier.

After opening a second retail location in Norwell in 2002, Lino Aiello, the second-generation manager, said the company was looking to expand to a third location on the South Shore.

“We had been looking at the Canton area for a while,” Aiello said. “We’ve always had a lot of customers from Canton and the surrounding towns who make the trip all the way to Quincy, so the new location is definitely more convenient.”

The prime Canton location, at the corner of Washington Street and Route 138 and just a half-mile from Route 95, allows Alfredo’s to service not only Canton, but also customers from the surrounding communities of Milton, Stoughton and Randolph.

As a full-service Italian grocer, Alfredo’s carries a wide selection of breads baked fresh daily as well as hot calzones, pizzas and sandwiches available Thursday through Saturday. And when you rattle off the long list of items available at the deli like imported cheeses — Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Marscapone — or meats — Prosciutto di Parma, pancetta, sorpressata — you can’t help but elongate the end syllables and sound like a native Italian. In the market section of the store, Alfredo’s carries a number of otherwise hard-to-find specialty ingredients, including imported olive oil and vinegar and canned artichokes, anchovies, peppers and polenta.

Carl Monaco makes fresh bread.

But aside from carrying the typical items found in an Italian grocer, Alfredo’s continues to make its mark on the marketplace with an impressive selection of frozen, ready-to-bake entrees. A wall of freezers lines the left side of the store, complete with favorites like chicken parmesan, lasagna, ziti, chicken and broccoli, stuffed shells and a variety of ravioli. Unlike your typical store-bought frozen dinner, Alfredo’s ready-to-bake frozen entrees are made fresh, from scratch, every week and contain no preservatives.

And they’re perfect for the family on the go. The frozen entrees take just over an hour to cook or 30-45 minutes if thawed, and range in size from portions for two to three people or party size entrees for eight to ten people.

“It allows families to serve fresh food with such little effort,” said Janice Abbatangelo, manager of the Canton retail location. “And it makes a difference. I have parents come in here all the time who say, ‘My son is the pickiest eater, but he loves your lasagna or meatballs.’”

Alfredo’s is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Please call 781-828-5600 or visit www.aapasta.com for more information.

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Posted by Jeffrey Cattel on Jun 15 2011. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.