Altomonte's Italian Market Gets Congressional Recognition

DOYLESTOWN, PA — When Maria Nappi learned that her family's restaurant was getting congressional recognition, she wasn't sure how to react.

"We were like, 'Why?' What is it?'" Maria recalls. "I was blown away."

But it was true. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick reached out the family after receiving numerous calls about the great service that Altomonte's Italian Market & Deli was providing to its customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and after learning more about the restaurant's deep roots in the area, he decided to have the Italian family business entered into the U.S. Congressional Record.

The Origin Story

What started as a small butcher shop in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia has now grown into a full-scale market and deli with two locations in Bucks County.

Born and raised in Italy, newlyweds Mike and Fran Grispino emigrated to the United States and opened a small butcher shop in 1971 which they called Mike's Meat's. They would later tell their daughter that the night before opening for the first time, they had to look underneath the sofa cushions have enough change to open the till for the next day.

As a child, she recalls her father taking her to livestock auctions where he would procure cattle.

"We were like the weird neighbors next door," Maria said. "We always made wine in the garage and sausages were hanging when it was the right season."

The family eventually decided to move to Bucks County and opened another deli in Warminster. The business did well for many years, so much so that Maria's older brother, Vincent, decided to drop out of college and keep working at the shop. In 1996, they moved to a larger space in a shopping center around the corner on York Road where they added a bakery. Ten years later, they opened a Doylestown location.

Mike Grispino sadly passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 72 on Jan. 1, 2020, but he left behind a loving family and a beloved business in Bucks County.

"He was such a sunshine, he really, really was," Maria said. "His funeral procession was miles and miles, you would’ve thought a statesman died, and he was just a grocer in a little town."

Carrying On A Legacy

The mother-daughter combo of Fran and Maria are currently working on a cookbook which will include plenty of authentic recipes from the old country.

But Maria didn't always plan on working in the family business forever. Growing up, her dad wanted her to be a dentist or a lawyer. After getting her college degree she went to work for an accounting firm and worked the typical 9 to 5 type of gig, which she soon found out wasn't for her.

"When I had to go out for lunch they had this crappy convenience store food," she said. "There was no place to eat. I didn't last there long."

It wasn't all for naught, as Maria was able to use her newfound accounting skills to help the family business. Today, the business has 250 employees across its two locations in Bucks County, and Maria has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

"I can't see letting it go. We've come so far," she said.

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