Meliollos Italian Delights

Growing Up Italian as painted on our wall.

Real Italian cooking is about more than food. It is a way of celebrating God and family and friends, and life. It is through rolling meatballs and stirring gravy that conversation turns to laughter and laughter to memories. I discovered this at an early age when my family visited the home of my father, Joseph Melillo, in Newark, New Jersey. My grandparents, Guillelmo Melillo and Maria Ferrara Melillo owned a 2-family home with a “stoop”, where we spent many a day and night watching the traffic and observing the lifestyles on 9th and Bloomfield Avenue. In the lower part of their home was the kitchen, with a table for at least 20 people. My grandfather made his own wine and his wine cellar was always full of jugs of wine. My grandmother always wore an apron, there was always something cooking and whether you were hungry or not, grandma always wanted you to eat. An array of food including pasta, meatballs, sausages, cheeses, fruit and fresh Italian bread covered the table for lunch or dinnertime and for all of the visits (in between.) It was in their kitchen that I learned that spaghetti sauce was always referred to as “gravy.” My grandparents came to America from Teora, Italy, Province of Avellino, that is in the Compaignia Region, through Ellis Island; grandpa in 1907 and grandma in 1910. The name Melillo means “little apple.”

I acquired my passion for cooking and the love of my heritage through both of my parents, however, my mother, Barbara is not of Italian descent. She came from Enid, Oklahoma and met my father while he was stationed there at Vance Air Force Base. They married in 1951 in Newark and that is where my oldest brother and I were born. I grew up with three brothers, Joe, Bill, and Nick in a home where respect, love, affection and food were abundant. They are all married now with wonderful families of their own. My lunchtime sandwiches are named after my nieces and nephews. You’ll see my family a lot at Melillo’s, working behind the bar or in the kitchen. They love to pitch in and be part of my dream.

My father passed away in 1998. He taught me that my roots, my culture and my family were the most precious gifts in life. I followed in his footsteps and became the first female President of the Italian American Association in 1999. He was more than a wonderful man; he was my mentor and my inspiration. My dream, since the age of 18 was to open an Italian deli, but my father always said, “it’s too much work.” Upon his death, my mother came across plans that he had drawn up for a deli and Melillo’s was shaped from those plans. With the help of my wonderful family and friends, Melillo’s Italian Deli was created in May 2001. We began on Brownsboro Road and moved to our current location at Piazza di Felice in April 2004. Our logo carries the wedding picture of my parents along with the colors of the Italian flag. When you are at Melillo’s, I want you to feel the warmth and welcome of being in my home. I hope you enjoy the tastes and the smells from my kitchen. With every recipe, there is a pinch of love, because it’s my belief that the hand of the cook expresses the heart.

Buon Appetito
Michele Melillo Clem