Dedham Family Business Specializes in Fresh Italian Foods

Giuseppe Musto has had a passion for food since his time living in Avellino, Italy.  He has cooked all over the Almafi Coast before he moved to America.

Giuseppe now pleasures  Americans with over 30 different homemade sandwiches, lasagna, tomato sauce and pastries at his very own Dedham shop, Vincenzo’s, which is named after his father.

It was Vincenzo who taught young  Giuseppe that freshness is key.   As a kid he watched his parents produce their own wine, tomato sauce and olive oil back in Avellino.  The Dedham business owner now makes his very own fresh mozzarella, sausage, ricotta  and imports a variety of pastas from the mother country.

“My family has a big garden where they make a thousand jars of tomatoes a year,” he said.  “ They have everything fresh.  Their own chickens and eggs.  My own grandmother always stressed fresh products.”

Patch sat down with Giuseppe and his wife Marcella to find out a little more about the family business.

Patch:  When did you open?

Marcella:  In March 2011

Patch: Why did you decide to open an Italian import shop?

Marcella: Giuseppe wanted people here to enjoy fresh Italian foods.  He always wanted to open a business just like that.

Patch: Why did you open in Dedham?

Marcella:  I was born and raised in Dedham.  My family is all from Dedham.  There’s a lot of mom and pop shops and small businesses.  We looked all over, but we just kept coming back to Dedham.

Patch:   What did you do before opening Vincenzo’s?

Marcella:  Giuseppe has been a chef his whole life.  He trained in Italy and came over to America in 2001.

Patch:  Where did you get your passion for food?

Giuseppe: When I was in Italy, I went to cooking school for five years.  I worked all over the Almalfi Coast and Switzerland.

Patch:  What are some of the big differences between working in Italy and working here in Dedham?

Giuseppe: To be honest, there aren’t many.  Back in Italy they’re very demanding which is the same as the people here.  If you don’t offer a top quality product, you’re not going to make business.

Marcella:  It’s not that they’re demanding but they know a good product.

Patch:  What types of items do you sell?

Marcella:  We make a lot of food right here.  Most  of it is homemade: homemade sausage, homemade mozzarella.  We do gourmet sandwiches, we have imported pastas, pizelles.  We do tons of catering and with the holidays coming up we expanded the menus and brought in a variety of Panettone cakes.

Patch: What are your rarest items?

Giuseppe:  During Christmas, the baccala salad. Nobody does that.  It takes a lot of work and you have to know what to do… Also octopus salad and our traditional desserts.

Patch:   What is your most popular item?

Marcella:  I think everyone in Dedham has tried our Italian sub.  The Italian sub with everything on it and extra hots is our best.  Our pastas are also a huge seller. Everyone buys them.  They’re organic and imported from Italy and go great with our homemade sauce.

Patch:  Personally, what is your favorite item?

Giuseppe: Our homemade lasagna because its made with fresh pasta.  Also the parma prosciutto.  A lot of places have it at a minimum of age 14 months.  Ours is 18 months which makes it a little bit more special.

Patch:  What do you like best about having a shop right in Dedham?

Marcella:  The families that come in.  Everybody knows each other.

Patch:  What could Dedham to better for small businesses?

Marcella:  Nothing the Dedham Square Circle does a lot for us.  They advertise for us and they really push small businesses and they’re doing a lot.  They stopped charging for parking in the square (lot) and that has been a big plus.

Vincenzo's is located at 29 Bryant Street, Dedham.