As Pallucca’s once again changes ownership, this week I’m publishing Mark Matarazzi’s memories provided in response to my call for recollections of Pallucca’s back in 2008, just before it changed over from a grocery store to a deli. As was written in his 2014 obituary, Mark held the Frontenac / Pittsburg area near to his heart, keeping up with relatives, friends and local interests. He was always willing to share a story related to the area's past or present. — J.T. Knoll

My dad and Raymond Pallucca were in the same class at Frontenac High School. He used to go to Pallucca’s regularly to buy porchetta, Volpi salami, and the never duplicated Menghini's Cardinal Brand cooked salami (I can't ever remember having any that was better.) Also, Menghini’s "ring" bologna — which was in a dyed red casing and about the diameter of a silver dollar. It was garlicky heaven.

I am fortunate that I live in St. Louis now and St. Loo is the home of Volpi Italian Meats so I can get their delicious Genoa and Filsette salami, prociutto, copacollo and mortadella — all of which Pallucca’s imported. People here find it hard to believe that I grew up eating that stuff.

Pallucca's chili was the best in the world to make coneys. I remember seeing bricks of it in the glassed meat counter. Dad used to get porchetta there a lot — especially, when Dario Constantini used to work behind the meat counter — even though my Nonna made a killer porchetta. Dario made some great homemade copacollo as well. Dickie sold it on an "asked for" basis.

My Nonna shopped at Pallucca's religiously. Sometimes she had them deliver and, sometimes, when she walked up there, they gave both her and her groceries a ride home. She had a charge account there as well. Try asking Dillon's or Walmart for that kind of service.

Dickie would package meat for the older folks like my Nonna, in slices. Of course he would weigh it … but Nonna didn’t order by weight. It was three slices of this, and two slices of that. Nonna really liked their boiled ham (whatever that was). Pallucca’s was the first place I tasted Tuma cheese, which is a mild white cheese that is usually referred to as Muenster now days.

The aroma of the place was tremendous. Smells drifted up to the front from back behind the meat counter where Ray, Dickie and crew were cooking up something every day. You can't duplicate that smell in a new supermarket.

I also remember the big pictures of Steve Pallucca on the east wall over Pete Benedict's sacred produce. Yes, I thought Pete was the grouchiest human being on the planet. Steve went to Mickey Owen Baseball School for a couple of summers and got to meet "Moose" Skowron of the Yankees. Ray was proud of those pictures.

I remember going to the stock room with my dad and Raymond being in the little cubby hole he called an office and hollering at my dad to get his "butt" back there; that he wanted to talk to him. Of course, Raymond never said, "butt.”

One of my fondest memories was walking up there at lunch break in junior high and high school after eating a "nutritious" school cafeteria lunch (their yeast rolls were really good!) to indulge in a cold bottle of Pepsi and a Bama Pie. Art Falletti used to check us out and keep one eye on us while we loitered around before heading back to classes.

One of the funniest things that Raymond ever did was when he saw us looking at Playboy in the magazine rack right behind Art's register. Ray grabbed the Playboy out of the hands of whomever happened to have it and yelled to a group of mothers who were in line to pay for their groceries — while holding out the centerfold for all to gaze upon:

"Hey mothers!” he hollered to the women, “see what your kids look at during lunch time! How about that, huh? Think they have this in the high school library? Huh? Whaddya say? Huh?"

Of course, we guys were looking to fall into any crack we could find … and the mothers were turning several shades of red as Ray walked to the back, laughing heartily all the way.