Uncle Giuseppe’s celebrates 25 years with giveaways, new stores

Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace is getting ready to celebrate a major milestone — 25 years of serving Long Islanders fresh pasta, scratch-made meals and a whole lot of cannoli.

The specialty Italian marketplace, which began as a single 7,800-square-foot shop on Hempstead Turnpike in 1998, has grown into a 12-store chain across Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey — with two more locations on the way this year.

The company will launch a year-long anniversary celebration on March 19, St. Joseph’s Day.

“We made a conscious decision to create an Italian-centric market, reminiscent of the experience we had as kids, the Little Italy’s of Brooklyn and the Bronx, where neighborhood markets were the center of community and family life,” co-founder Carl DelPrete said in an announcement.

“Twenty-five years later, we’re still making everything from scratch, the same way we did on day one.”

By the numbers

Across its 12 stores, the company now employs about 2,700 people and produces nearly 1,000 different items in-house daily.

Here are some fun numbers behind the operation:

• 10.3 million ravioli made annually
• 310,000+ baguettes baked each year — enough to stretch the length of Long Island when lined up end to end
• 676,000+ hand-rolled meatballs
• 86,000+ cannoli filled to order using 210,000 pounds of house-made cream
• 130,000+ cakes and 90,000+ pies baked fresh

Customers can watch much of that happening in real time, from pasta being rolled to mozzarella being stretched.

“Watch your mozzarella being made, your pasta being rolled, your bread coming out of the oven,” DelPrete said. “That’s not a gimmick — that’s just how we’ve always done it.”

A year to celebrate

The anniversary celebration will run throughout 2026 with several promotions and events.

Highlights are expected to include:

St. Joseph’s Day kickoff (March 19): Customers with names like Joseph, Giuseppe, Josie, Joanne or Josephine will be able to receive a complimentary St. Joseph’s Day pastry by showing ID at the bakery counter.

$100 gift card sweepstakes: Each store will give away 25 gift cards worth $100. Details are expected to be released March 20.

“25 Founding Favorites” menu: The company will highlight signature items that helped build the brand, including fresh cannoli, chicken cutlets and Sunday gravy.

“Recipes from Nonna” community cookbook: Customers can submit family recipes that will be compiled into a commemorative cookbook scheduled for release in fall 2026.

More stores coming

The company also plans to keep growing.

Two new locations are scheduled to open this year:

• Greenvale — a 56,000-square-foot flagship expected to open summer 2026
• Levittown — expected to open later in the year

National expansion is also being explored beginning in 2027, according to the announcement.

The chain most recently opened a new location at Sayville Plaza in Bohemia.

For the uninitiated

The markets are known for their traditional Italian marketplace atmosphere, with fresh bread, prepared foods, handmade pasta and butcher-counter specialties made in view of customers.

Stores also carry a full selection of groceries, organic products and prepared meals.

Despite its growth, DelPrete said the company’s core philosophy hasn’t changed since the early days.

Made fresh. Sold fresh. Every day.

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Top: Uncle Giuseppe’s celebrates the opening of its Bohemia location n November. (Credit: courtesy)