'They Were The Deli:' Community Mourns LI Couple Who Police Say Were Stabbed, Killed By Son

BETHPAGE, NY — Community members shared heartfelt stories about a couple, Angela Pulisciano, 62, and Antonio Dambrosio, 70, who were killed on Thursday in their Long Island deli. Their son has been arrested and accused of stabbing them, police said.

The Seaford couple owned A & A Italian Deli & Pizza located in Bethpage, and some of their customers spoke about how welcome they always felt in the traditional spot.

Joseph Garcia of Farmingdale, 43, said he has been visiting A & A Deli for decades.

"I've been going since I was a teenager," he said. "I'm a long-time customer. My parents would take us for breakfast sandwiches, and then when I started driving, the deli was always the quick stop. There aren't a lot of delis that stay open that late."

When he heard about what happened to the couple, he said it was "pure shock."

He said he is trying to remember all the good, such as their generosity and delicious food.

"They were always working," he said. "It was always them. They were there. They were the deli. It was a true family business."

Garcia said they were generous people and always had very fair prices.

"In fact, sometimes you felt guilty when they were charging such fair prices and they would apologize when they did raise prices," he said. "You think to yourself, 'They could have raised them more,' but they didn't want to. They were happy to do a good job and serve people and feed people at a price that worked for them."

He added that they would always help out customers.

"If you were short a couple dollars, instead of making you use a credit card, they'd let you pay the next time you were there," he said.

Garcia shared that the couple were always seen working hard.

"They seemed happy to make a living and enjoyed their time there," he said. "Tony doing the cooking, making great food, and Angela at the register and deli counter. You always felt like you were rooting for them to do as well as they could. They were honest and authentic people, and that's how they ran their business."

The deli was more than just food — Garcia said many enjoyed the conversations to be found there, too.

"On the way out with your coffee and your egg sandwich, you ended up talking to a couple of the old guys who were sitting around, and they were going to be there tomorrow, too," he said. "People would just hang out. It felt like Grandma's living room, especially of a big Italian family. You felt like you had friends from inside the deli that, you didn't even know their names, but knew all about them. It became a real community place for a lot of people."

Garcia said he never missed an opportunity to tell a friend or new resident to check out the deli.

"I would tell people all the time to go there and how good the sandwiches were," he said. "They were bigger than everywhere else and less money. It was better there than anywhere else. People would tell me after they went, 'You weren't kidding.'"

He said it was a family feel all the way through, and for them, "It was about the food and the community."

Garcia wants people to remember who they were more than anything else.

"This has to be about what Angela and Tony built, not how it ended," Garcia said.

Maria Nielsen of Bethpage said her family was a frequent customer at A & A Deli, often ordering heroes for family parties or checking out the Italian goods.

"Their food was the best," she said. "They always gave you generous portions. They loaded their heroes. Never skimping."

She continued, sharing that Angela and Tony reminded her of her own parents — immigrants from Italy with thick accents.

"Very much like my parents," she said. "Talking to them reminded me of talking to my parents."

She added that their deli had Italian delicacies: "They imported everything from Italy."

Nielsen said she had to explain what happened to the couple to her children, and that it was a hard conversation — her children had met Angela and Tony and loved shopping there.

"My younger daughter would get a jar of the lupini beans," she said. "My oldest daughter loves pasta and would look through aisles of funky pasta shapes that they had. You wouldn't be able to find them in a regular grocery store. True semolina pasta."

On the topic of generosity, Nielsen said they were as generous as you could find.

"They always had one of their kids working," she said. "Everybody was accommodating. It was always 'yes.' Never any hesitation. They were always willing to go the extra mile and would donate and support kids in the community. They were truly wonderful pillars of our community."

A GoFundMe that has been launched has so far raised more than $74,000 from 1,300 donors.

Visitation will be held at Frederick J. Chapey & Sons on Wednesday and Thursday at 20 Hicksville Road in Bethpage. The hours are as follows:

Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 2 to 5 p.m., and from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11, from 2 to 5 p.m., and from 7 to 9 p.m.

A funeral mass will follow on Friday, Dec. 12, at 10:30 a.m. at St. James Roman Catholic Church, located at 80 Hicksville Road in Seaford.

Interment will take place at St. Charles Cemetery located at 2015 Wellwood Ave. in Farmingdale.