Dominick Grosso says it was just chance that he bought the delicatessen that he has been running for the past 16 years in New Hyde Park.
For the many customers who patronize Dominick’s Italian-American Deli at 401 Herricks Road in New Hyde Park, it was a happy turn of fate.
Grosso, 53, was working at Eastern Meats in Franklin Square when he heard that the people who ran the Dietz Dairy – which previously occupied the building that houses his deli – were pulling up stakes. He had no way of knowing that the dairy had become unpopular, and he struggled when he first tried to establish his business there. Then one day a woman from the neighborhood suggested he change the name of the place, and a transformation took root.
“People started coming in. They saw how fair I was, how friendly I was. And the food was good,” Grosso said.
These days, they’re still coming in from New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, Herricks, Floral Park, the Willistons and Mineola for a hero at lunchtime or to arrange catering for an event. And Grosso counts many of them as more than just customers.
“I don’t think you can get any better customers than you get over here. Once in a while you find customers like this. They’re more like friends,” Grosso said.
Many of his customers demonstrated their appreciation for his presence in the neighborhood when the legality of the deli’s presence was questioned by the Town of North Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals three years ago.
As Grosso recounted it, the issue of his deli was raised when the BZA realized that a neighboring garden center didn’t have a legal permit to operate its business there.
A neighbor’s subsequent complaint brought the BZA’s attention to the deli, and the board determined that while the dairy’s operations had been permitted, the deli was in an area that was zoned for residential use. In effect, that meant that the deli could sell milk, but not sandwiches – and catering was also not a permitted use.
“Our main thing here is cold cuts and catering. Catering is half the business,” said Grosso, who is still trying to sort out a solution, with Town of North Hempstead Councilman Angelo Ferrara acting as intermediary with the board of zoning appeals.
Grosso credits Ferrara with holding off a determination from the BZA long enough for residents to get wind of the dispute. The residents filled the hearing room in support of Grosso in his initial encounter with the board, and turned out again for a town meeting at Clinton G. Martin Park earlier this year when Ferrara presided with all parties, including representatives of the landlord, present to discuss the issue.
More than one speaker at that meeting pointed out that Grosso was a veteran, a former U.S. Marine, who deserved to be allowed to continue making a living in a business that the community clearly wanted to remain right where it is.
His service to his country is a particular point of pride to Grosso, who served for four years in stations around the world, which gave him a fresh appreciation for his adopted country.
“I wanted to do something for this country,” he said, explaining his reason for enlisting.
Grosso had migrated to the U.S. from his native Italy with his father, Vincenzo, and two brothers in 1962. He was raised in Jamaica, and moved to the area with his family when his parents bought a home in Bellerose eight years later.
A resident of New Hyde Park for the past 30 years, he’s lived in the same house with his wife, Tina, near his home parish of Holy Spirit Church since 1990.
Their four children – Dominick. Jr., Vincent, Marissa and Daniella – also live in the area. Grosso said he spends a lot of his free time with his family, particularly with his three grandchildren, Nicholas, Lorenzo and Alissiana. And his son, Vincent who has worked in the deli with his father for the past 12 years.
Grosso expresses his gratitude for his good fortune in the business by contributing to local schools and churches. He’s also an active member of the Knights of Columbus, the local Elks Lodge.
“I want to give back to the community,” Grosso said.
He contributes to Wounded Warriors and Carolina Canines, an organization that trains guide dogs for disabled veterans. He’s also a member of American Legion Post 144 in Williston Park and the Marine Corps League in Port Washington.
Stan Derby, one of Grosso’s comrades in that Marine Corps League post, called Grosso one of the group’s “MVPs.”
“He is our most contributing member in every way, both financially and actively,” said Derby, who said Grosso always steps up when something needs to be done.
That’s why he’s an honorary life member there. And it’s indicative of a man who has established a bond in his community with his ready smile, serving up deli sandwiches at a reasonable price.
In fact, Grosso said his prices haven’t change in four years, and won’t anytime soon, because he sees the financial fallout among his neighbors.
“We haven’t raised the prices here. We know people are hurting out there,” he said.
Grosso doesn’t seemed concerned about surviving his tug of war with the board of zoning appeals. He expects the deli eventually will be relocated to the corner space of the property it now occupies. With a newly minted website and the prospect of an even better location for the deli, the outlook is good from his perspective.
Grosso survived an aneurism and valve replacement surgery nearly 15 years ago that he said gave him a decidedly positive perspective on life itself.
“When you go through that, it makes you look at things differently,” Grosso said, smiling.
