Owners Rich and Maria Panassidi started Cucina Fresca in Bayville, NJ, after moving back to the Jersey shore from Florida. It was a business they thought they had retired from, but when family needed them nearby, and the job market wasn’t favorable, it made sense to return to something they knew well.

Their Italian-American deli and market features high-quality ingredients and local resources. The olive oil is from a friend in Sicily. The cookies are sent over from another friend on Long Island. Rich makes the fresh mozzarella and sausage, respectively, each day in house. He makes his own sauces too, which can be picked up by the quart. Nothing is made from a recipe.