ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mazzaro’s Italian Market has become a St. Petersburg staple for all your Italian essentials. The market on 22nd Avenue North is booming — “we specialize in hard-to-source Italian items as well as gourmet items,” General Manager Robert Smith explains.
If you haven’t had a cup of coffee there, you may be surprised to learn where it got its grind.
“This business has been here for almost 30 years. In 1993 we started roasting coffee.”
That poured into what the market is today. From baked goods to braciole, Mazzaro’s offers pre-made meals, meats and seafood, deli items, fresh pasta and bread, a whole room full of wines and cheeses and of course, a coffee bar.
The market has around 130 employees, most of whom work behind the scenes in production. Smith says, “We have our little Italian 'Keebler elves' back there making lasagnas, making salads, making sauce. The bakers come in around 2 o’clock in the morning. It’s all fresh, we don’t sell day-old bread."
The chefs also make around a thousand pounds of meatballs a week.
Mazzaro's is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It's closed on Sundays.