Mariano's Cucina and Provisions offers Italian specialties and more

Oct. 5—Mariano's Cucina and Provisions gives the Midvalley a taste of the Old County.

Jeff and Jackie Vanston opened Mariano's Cucina in 2002 and decided to transition into an Italian specialty market, which opened as Mariano's Cucina and Provisions in May 2021. In addition to Italian heat-and-eat meals that were popular in the restaurant, customers can take advantage of the full deli case, featuring imported meats and cheeses, and shop from a selection of Italian grocery items.

Chef's Table chatted with Jeff Vanston about the transition of the business and plans for the future at 414 Church St., Jessup.

Q: What is the history of the restaurant?

A: I started in the restaurant business in my early 20s. I learned the trade at my brother Jack's restaurant, Amici in Clarks Summit, which he owned with my parents and some friends. After a few years, my brother and I left Amici and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to open another Amici. We ran that for several years and then sold it.

I moved back to the area and got married to Jackie and worked as manager at a corporate catering company running cafeterias at HarperCollins, Thompson Consumer Electronics (RCA) and Emery Worldwide. I left the food service industry for two years and then my brother Mark, a contractor, purchased an old bar/restaurant in Jessup. He told me he was turning it into a restaurant for us. After discussions and gaining the support of Jackie, we agreed, and that was the beginning of Mariano's Cucina. The market is named after my grandfather Mariano Simoncelli, who loved cooking and feeding his family and friends. He also owned a wholesale grocery business, Simoncelli Brothers Provisions.

After about 15 years at Mariano's Cucina, Jackie and I started thinking about the future. We liked the thought of an Italian Market in Jessup, but with a few twists, so we hatched out a plan and decided that after 20 years, we were going to transition into an Italian Specialty Market. Then came COVID-19. We both got (COVID-19) in December 2020. The world changed and so did Mariano's Cucina. While recuperating, we decided to transition a year early. Mariano's Cucina and Provisions opened in May of 2021.

Q: Describe the food that you serve and what is available for people with special diets?

A:We have a heat-and-eat section that features a lot of the entrees that we served in our restaurant such as chicken and veal (piccata, marsala, parmesan and Milanese), meatballs, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, risottos and pasta. The list goes on and on. We usually post our weekly specials on our Facebook page.

We have a full deli case stocked with Italian meats, such as our homemade Lonza, dried sausage, Sopressata and Porchetta, in addition to several kinds of imported meats, such as prosciuttos, salamis, mortadella and our sweet and hot Italian sausage. We have an extensive imported cheese selection featuring 20-plus Italian cheeses. We only carry Italian meats and cheeses in our deli. So if you're looking for turkey or American cheese, you're out of luck.

We make our grab-and-go Italian hoagies daily. Our bread and rolls are delivered from New York and locally, (we have) a large selection of pastries, cookies, gelato and frozen treats. We carry a large variety of pasta, meat and cheese ravioli, Cappelletti, Tortelloni, Crepe Manicotti, Gnocchi, fresh pasta and homemade sauces to go with them. For people with special dietary needs, we have gluten-free pasta, entrees and desserts.

Q: What are your most ordered menu items?

A: That's a tough one. I guess I would say Lonza, Porchetta, Risotto, Chicken Parm, Meatballs, Chicken Cutlets and charcuterie boards.

Q: Describe the atmosphere.

A:The market is great to stop in and browse around. In addition to our prepared foods, we have a full selection of imported Italian grocery items such as pastas, sauces, olive oils, all kinds of vinegar, antipastos, spreads, jams, jellies, bruschettas, crackers, breadsticks and much much more. We carry both Italian and Polish pottery and kitchen utensils. We also make custom gift baskets. You can pick out a nice pasta bowl, fill it with whatever you want, maybe add a gift certificate and take it to Jackie and she'll make it a beautiful gift.

Q: Do you offer catering, event space, etc.?

A: We are available for all your takeout catering needs and corporate events. Please call us for more information.

Q: Where do you see the Italian Specialty Market headed?

A:Right now we're about 85% of what we had in mind for our Italian Specialty Market. Hopefully, by the beginning of next year, we will add an imported wine section, where we can sell Italian wines. We'd like to expand our gift basket business and maybe do a monthly wine and food pairing event that showcases new products. Also, our new website is under construction and should be up and running soon. For now, check us out on Facebook and give us a like.

Contact the writer:

lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5228