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CANDACE C. MUNDY/TAMPA TRIBUNE

Kathy Makely and Rosemary Schrem, regulars at Cacciatore Bros. grocery market, 5610 Hanley Road, are checked out by cashier Angela Persad.

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By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

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TOWN 'N COUNTRY - When Kathy Makely was looking for a house to replace her apartment in Town 'N Country, her one request for her husband was to look for a home nearby.

The reason: she wanted to remain close to Cacciatore Bros.

"I tell everyone, you've got to go to Cacciatore's," she said. "It's best by far."

Makely has lived in the area for 25 years and discovered Cacciatore on a fluke 20 years ago. As soon as she stepped into the Italian specialty market, it was love at first sight. She shops at the market five times a week because she "likes things fresh."

If she doesn't visit often, she feels withdrawal, she said.

For Phillip Cacciatore, owner of the market at 5610 Hanley Road, these customers are his livelihood and joy.

"It just gives me so much pleasure to see people get what they want," he said.

Cacciatore Bros. was founded in 1896 by Giuseppi Cacciatore, an immigrant from Sicily. He opened the market in a house on Seventh Avenue in Ybor City. The living quarters were toward the back, the market in the front. Cacciatore named the market Cacciatore Bros. because he intended to partner with his brother Angelo, but when Angelo decided he would rather live in Sicily than Tampa, Giuseppi Cacciatore moved back to Sicily and handed the market over to Angelo's sons.

The name still applied, and brothers Giuseppi, Ignacio, Salvatore and Silvestro Cacciatore began running the market. Then a fifth brother, Filippo Cacciatore - Phillip's father - arrived in Tampa in 1912 and became a partner in the business.

Years later, Giuseppi and Salvatore split from the group and opened a wholesale meats business, and Ignacio and Silvestro later left to begin a retail business.

Filippo was left to run the business, and in 1964 he turned Cacciatore Bros. over to Phillip. Then about 1967, urban renewal hit Ybor City, and many old buildings in the area were bought out. At that point, Cacciatore Bros. moved to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and in 1977 Phillip opened another market on Hanley Road in Town 'N Country.

In 2001, the Martin Luther King Jr. store closed, easing Phillip Cacciatore's workload and allowing him to spend more time with his children.

Today, the Hanley Road market is the only Cacciatore Bros. that remains. There is a Cacciatore & Son market on North Armenia Avenue, but that is a side business owned by Phillip Cacciatore's cousin, grandson of Silvestro Cacciatore.

Cacciatore Bros. provides specialty foods that are hard to find in mainstream supermarkets such as Sweetbay and Publix. Cacciatore said people call him asking for specific ingredients needed to make certain Italian foods and sauces.

The market sells a variety of cheeses, pastas and meats.

"We carry just about any Italian import you can find," Cacciatore said.

The market produces 1,000 pounds of sausage a week, 5,000 pounds Christmas week. Workers can make 50 pounds of sausage in 15 minutes, Cacciatore said.

Although certain things have remained the same at the market, Cacciatore has made an effort to accommodate today's society. For example, years ago people were more likely to prepare their own food, but today shoppers are looking for prepared meals. Cacciatore provides a variety of meals such as lasagna, linguine with clams and eggplant parmesan for busy working couples.

The wine section also has expanded.

"Years ago, it was jug wine. Now they want a little better wine," he said. "They don't mind paying $30 for a better wine."

The traditional market atmosphere and contemporary touches have kept customers happy and shopping; customers including Shelley Goldstein of Town 'N Country.

"I like that there's a small-town feel to this store," she said. "The produce is very fresh, and you can't find a butcher like this at all. They have such a variety of cheeses and oils and spices that you can't find in Wal-Mart and Target.

"I would rather spend a couple dollars more and come here," she continued. "It feels more personal. This feels like I'm back in Brooklyn."

The Cacciatore market has been around for 111 years, and faithful customers such as Makely and Goldstein need not worry about it closing anytime soon.

Phillip Cacciatore has owned and run the store since he was 21, and his niece, Karen McDaniel, serves as his manager.

Cacciatore and McDaniel worked at the markets as children and teenagers because they love it.

"It's just a tradition," McDaniel said. "I feel at home here."

"I've loved this since I was a kid," Cacciatore said. "I wouldn't do anything else. It's in my blood, I guess."

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Cacciatore Bros.

WHERE: 5610 Hanley Road

HOURS: Open from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday ; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

INFORMATION: (813) 884-8013

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado @tampatrib.com.

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