Three generations have served Alameda since 1966
Step through the door of Domenico’s Italian Deli at 1407 Webster Street and you’ll instantly see that this is a multigenerational family business. On the wall to your left, a display of family photos is topped by a handwritten “Family” sign and a snapshot of Dominic “Domenico” Cucchiara and his wife Letizia taken at least 50 years ago at their P&G Italian Delicatessen on Park Street at Webb Avenue.
Yes, that’s the Domenico. He and Italian-born Letizia were married after she immigrated to the U.S. in 1954. They worked several food service jobs together and then bought P&G from the original owners (Pete & Guy) for $500, a price based on the fact that the building needed major renovations just to get it up to code. The effort was worth it. P&G became an Alameda favorite from the day it reopened in 1966 until 1979, when Domenico and Letizia retired. Fortunately for the rest of us, “they got bored,” according to their daughter Ann, and opened Domenico’s in 1982.
Some of the people in those old photos on the wall still work at the family deli today. It’s part of the charm and commitment to quality that keeps people coming to Domenico’s for the best Italian combo sandwich money can buy as well as the special comfort of being treated as family.
“The owners are rockin’ the old school Italian deli game,” Angela M. of Napa wrote on Yelp. “It’s been in the family for generations. Check out all the awesome photos on the wall. Besides being super friendly and quick to make your order, they make some of the best sandwiches in the Bay Area.”
Great food and family have always been the name of the game at Domenico’s. Many customers have been coming there for decades to savor Italian specialties made in-house by family recipes, from made-to-order pasta and hand-rolled meatballs to hot Coppa (spicy cured pork) and in-house oven-baked turkey sandwiches, followed by cannoli that’s so authentic you’ll feel like you’re actually in Italy. Domenico’s menu offers 40 different sandwiches, along with made-to-order spaghetti and ravioli, a dozen different sides and salads (including pasta pesto and orzo feta pasta), plus the aforementioned cannoli along with cheesecake and a few other sweets. All authentic. All amazing.
Many longtime customers have watched Domenico’s kids and grandkids grow up in the deli. Daughter Ann Murphy took over the business when her parents retired for good in 1989. All of Ann’s kids—James, Jennifer, Michael, Jeff, and Michelle—worked there at one time or another. James and Mike still work there. Michelle was working at the deli when she became a Raiderette, and many pictures of her adorn the walls. She was Raiderette of the Year in 2014. Needless to say, Ann started closing the deli on Sundays so she and her family—and of course their customers—could go to home games.
Ann is “a people person.” She always says hello and takes a minute to chat. She may even give you a hug. “I’m here for people who come in and need to talk to me about something they are going through,” she said. “I’ll stop and say a prayer with them.” And of course she’ll make food for you and your family whenever you need it.
“My favorite Domenico’s story is our wedding day,” Misti Walty recalled. “My husband-to-be and I, and our families/bridesmaids/groomsmen, were buzzing around our apartment getting ready when we realized we needed some food to hold us over until the reception several hours away. Quick call to Ann and 40 minutes later we all were happily munching away.”
A good number of regular customers have been around since the days of P&G. Catherine McClure Lindberg was just a kid back then, but she remembers it fondly. “My siblings and I would go in there with money from returning 7Up and Coke bottles to New Island Market,” she reminisced. “I would get 50 cents worth of salami and 50 cents worth of Monterey Jack cheese and a large dill pickle out of the jar on the counter. (Letizia) would see the little 9-year-old me pulling coins out of the front pocket of my jeans to pay her, separating my precious coins from candy wrappers and a toy or two that was also in said pocket. I think she added a few ounces to the scale because she would wink at me as she weighed it.”
By the way, Domenico’s still sells whole dill pickles.
Diana Leigh Botello Palacio remembers going to P&G for lunch during her Alameda High School years. “They treated all of us kids like family,” she said. Visiting P&G was also popular on weekends for kids who were out riding bikes. To add to the attraction, Tucker’s Ice Cream was next door. (P&G was where Linguini’s is today. Tucker’s moved down Park Street to its current spot near Central Avenue in April 2000.)
Ann Murphy was just 9 years old when her parents opened P&G. “I remember when the first Sandwich Board opened because it was right behind our deli,” she said. “There were only a couple of places you could get sandwiches before that. There was Alameda Delicatessen, which was right next to the theater, and then there was our place.” The Sandwich Board is still there in that same East End spot today, under the ownership of the Lee family since 1983.
Domenico’s is still thriving in its West End location after 41 years. And there’s now a Domenico’s in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, established in early 2020 by Ann’s youngest son, Jeff, with the same great Italian food and family atmosphere his grandparents developed at P&G back in 1966.
Liz Barrett is the Copy Editor of the Alameda Post and writes about our community. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Liz-Barrett.
