Alexis Amenson
Glorioso's Italian Market
When brothers Joe, Eddie and Teddy Glorioso founded Glorioso’s Italian Market at 1020 E. Brady St. in 1946, they might not have realized at the time that they were building the cornerstone for a destination and a Milwaukee institution. Still family-owned, Glorioso’s offers a deli counter with made-to-order sandwiches, pasta, pizza and flatbreads, as well as favorites such as gelato, espresso, cheese, fresh sausage and meats, wine and beer.
Teddy, the only surviving brother, turned 91 in March and still comes to work at the store. His son, Michael, is the general manager. Michael grew up in the family business but left in 1971 to go to college and work in the corporate food and beverage world. He returned to Glorioso’s in 2008 and immediately saw opportunity to grow his family’s brand.
“I will be 68 years old, and according to my family, I have a good 20 years left in me. My dad tells me ‘if I can be here, you can be here,” Michael laughs.
In 2010, Glorioso’s moved to its current 10,000 square foot location at 1011 E. Brady St., across the street from its original location. In 2019, they turned the former location into Glorioso’s Appetito culinary center. Within the last few years, they’ve gone from six employees to 57. Michael says they’re looking at taking some of their private label family recipe products to distribution channels outside of the store.
Glorioso’s is also a feature on the Taste of MKE food tours and has won numerous national and local accolades. As one of the oldest tenants and an anchor of the vibrant Brady Street neighborhood, Michael cites staying true to the family’s roots is what led to their longevity in a highly competitive grocery industry.
“We’ve adapted to changes and what people want, along with continually delivering high quality products at a fair prices. We stick to the Italian market theme, and that has really worked well. We combine that with extremely high degree of customer service and personalization.”
A True Italian Market Experience
Michael has seen people build a personal connection to Glorioso’s. “When people come in and stand at the front door, they sometimes get emotional,” he says. “It reminds them of when their parents or their nonna used to bring them to the grocery store when they were children, even though they lived in Philadelphia or New York.”
Glorioso’s family recipes are prominent in the deli. Arancini, or rice balls, are customer favorites, along with the chicken parmesan, freshly made salads and eggplant parmesan. “Everything is made from scratch from family recipes, but the big items are our 15 different kinds of sauces,” Michael says.
Other favorites are meatballs, along with bakery such as Italian cannoli and tiramisu. Specialty meats such as Italian spiedini (meat kebabs) are made old school and thus, labor intensive. “But they know they can come to Glorioso’s and get it made from scratch. Those are things that make us stand out.” He also cites their prosciutto di Parma (Italian dry cured ham); the Glorioso’s staff has achieved the art of hand-slicing the delicacy to achieve authentic thin, fine slices.
To celebrate their 75th anniversary, Glorioso’s will put the majority of their private label products, including select cheeses, coffee, bakery and deli items, on sale. Michael hopes that by the fourth quarter of the year, the pandemic will be under control so they can host special anniversary classes and events such as wine and cheese pairings at Appetito, “We’re Italian—we like to hug, and now we can’t do any of that! We like to bring people together and show all this good food,” he says.
Michael believes Joe and Eddie would be proud that their youngest brother, along with the Glorioso’s family. He also credits the Brady Street neighborhood. “I don’t believe that you can take this store and just pick it up and move it somewhere else and see it be this successful,” he reflects. “It’s an integral part of the community, which is a big part of its success.”
For more information, visit gloriosos.com.
