This week, I spoke to Louis Coluccio Jr., whose warmth and authenticity further brightened one of the only sunny January days so far this year. He’s a Bay Ridge food veteran, with a family history in the neighborhood dating back decades, in a community that loves him as much as he loves it.
GOOD FOOD: Tell me a bit about yourself and A.L.C.
COLUCCIO: I am the owner and operator of A.L.C. Grocery in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We opened A.L.C. in 2012. I was born and raised in Bay Ridge, and I grew up in my family’s food business, D. Coluccio and Sons, and worked there up until we opened A.L.C., so I’ve been in the food business for my whole life. I saw that this location opened up. It was a former butcher, and he was there for, like, 30-something years — family-owned, family-operated — and he passed away. I walked past the space, and something about it just called to me. I don’t know. It felt very comfortable.
I had this vision for an old-school deli for my generation. We listened to the community, and we’re always listening to what the customers wanted, and we sort of evolved as the years progressed. We got into catering, and now I do these really fun grazing tables that I’ve kind of become famous for. And we love it. It’s a labor of love and a community-focused business. Our customers are like our family. They’ve become some of my closest friends, which I love.
GOOD FOOD: And A.L.C. stands for…
COLUCCIO: Alimentari Louis Coluccio. And my wife’s first name is Allison, so it’s also Allison and Louis Coluccio. My daughter’s first name is Ava, so it kind of worked out that way. But it’s definitely all about family and food.
GOOD FOOD: What exactly is an alimentari?
COLUCCIO: It’s a place where a community comes for either ingredients or prepared meals that they’ll take home and eat with their family. So, a lot of the time, people will come and buy chicken cutlets from us and then take them home, chop them up, mix them with pasta and serve it to the family. It could be an ingredient. It could be the entire meal. It could be just a piece of pancetta or a pound of pasta. It’s a grocery meets a restaurant meets a deli.
From the day we opened, we always had some counter seats and tables so you could sit inside. At the time, that was a bit different for a deli to have, but now it’s more common. One of the first people to do it in Bay Ridge was The HoM Store. He had this beautiful store with all of this beautiful furniture, and then he had this little restaurant in the back, and I always thought it was the coolest idea. And then going to Italy and seeing the alimentari, they would do the same. They had their deli counter and a few seats, and people would get a little prosciutto, a little cheese and sit there and eat it. So, people who don’t want to go to a restaurant but want to grab a bite will come in and get an 8-ounce container of salad and say, “I’m eating this while the kids are in dance,” or “I have to go meet my mom at the doctor’s office,” and they’ll sit, eat and go.
GOOD FOOD: I think that’s great; an old-world solution to a new-world issue of being constantly on the go.
COLUCCIO: Exactly, if you don’t want fast food but you want to be quick, it’s perfect.
GOOD FOOD: For how long has D. Coluccio and Sons been in business?
COLUCCIO: It’s been close to 60 years since they opened. My father is turning 80 next week, and I think he came from Italy when he was 12 or 13, and they opened a few years later. He was probably in the food business since he was around 15 years old. It’s in the genes, for better or for worse.
GOOD FOOD: Do you have any early memories of working alongside your family in that store?
COLUCCIO: I remember the holidays, especially, were such a big deal. I miss working with my dad, my sister, my brother and other extended family during the holidays. My grandparents were there. They actually lived two doors down from the store, so we’d be in and out of their house, and they were working, too. Everything was meaningful, and everything was so important. This specific type of cheese, this specific baccalao, this type of terrone, everything had meaning.
Just the other day, I was getting my hair cut next door to the store, and there was a gentleman there who said he worked at my father’s store when it was on 59th Street, which was probably in the ‘60s. He says he remembers a roll with mortadella was 25 cents.
GOOD FOOD: Let’s talk about Bay Ridge. How have you seen the neighborhood change throughout your lifetime?
COLUCCIO: I grew up in Dyker, but my wife has lived in Bay Ridge her whole life. I would always come and hang out in Bay Ridge. It was always the cool spot. It has changed, like everything else, but it also hasn’t. My daughter goes to the same school that my wife went to. A lot of the kids have the same faces as the people we grew up knowing. We still have a lot of great restaurants and small businesses, which come and go. But the fabric of the community has really stayed the same.
It’s a very warm community. During COVID, I worked every day, and I have to say, it was a pleasure. People were so appreciative. I remember people ordering delivery from us, and I’d never met them, and when I’d meet them after COVID they would tell me, “We just wanted to support you guys.” They didn’t need fresh bread every day. They could’ve just ordered once, but they were ordering from us daily. So, businesses have come and gone, but I think what makes Bay Ridge “Bay Ridge.”
GOOD FOOD: How has A.L.C. changed since it opened in 2012?
COLUCCIO: I’m doing much more catering than I ever imagined. We’re also doing much more prepared foods since COVID, since people don’t have time to cook as much. When we opened in 2012, I feel like people were cooking more and buying more groceries. Post-COVID people are doing more parties in their homes, so we cater to a lot more of those than I would have imagined.
GOOD FOOD: What are your customers ordering most often?
COLUCCIO: Our most popular item would probably be the Carmine Calabrese sandwich, with Calabrian peppers, fried chicken cutlet and provolone. After that, I would say our risotto balls, which we’ve made since we opened, are very, very popular. Our truffle cheese from Sardinia is always very popular, especially around the holidays.
GOOD FOOD: Well, now I’m hungry. On that note, where do you like to go (besides A.L.C.) for a good Italian sandwich?
COLUCCIO: I am more of a pasta junkie, though I do love sandwiches — I love Paneantico; I love Charlie’s; they both do a great job. But if I’m going to go out for my cheat meal, I’m getting pasta. I’d probably go to Al Di La for their tagliatelle bolognese or Cafe Spaghetti, for any or all of their pastas. Oh, and Beets and Carrots in Bay Ridge — his beet pastas are awesome, and it’s a bit of an unsung gem. And we love our neighbors, so Brooklyn Roots has to be in there as well, but it needs to be me and five other people to split it. Well, I could eat the whole thing, but that’s why I can’t go alone.
GOOD FOOD: Where do you see A.L.C., and yourself, going in the next 12 years?
COLUCCIO: I’m in such a great place in my life now. If we stayed here, like this, I would be very happy.
