Joe's Dairy - CLOSED

Joe's Dairy is one of the few remaining old-time, no-frills cheese and meat shops in Manhattan today. This little shop has survived the test of time, selling over 30 different varieties of premium cheeses and an assortment of cured meats from around the word. The shop has changed ownership a few times over the past 80 years. Back in 1972, Joe Aiello had taken over the business from the original owner who had established the business in the 1930's. In 1976, Joe then sold it to the current owner, Anthony Canpanelli, a young shop worker at the time who has retained the business name.

Since 1977, the shop has been producing and distributing "Joe's" naturally smoked, hand-made mozzarella cheese to local restaurants, cafés and grocers like Olive's, Parisi Bakery, Sullivan Street Bakery and New York's Fairway markets. The cheese whey used in the cheese making process is hormone-free from Buffalo, New York. The small shop also features locally cured, smoked and dried meats from purveyors such as Alps in Astoria, New York.

To the left of the counter is a refrigerated section of sun-dried tomatoes, plain and stuffed red roasted peppers and olives. Joe's "pepper shooters" are made with red peppers stuffed with prosciutto and provolone and their Italian sun-dried tomatoes are made from a 35 year old family recipe passed down to Anthony from his father. They have a nice selection of Kalamata olives from Greece, green and black Cerignola olives from Italy, and oil-cured olives from Morocco. For those who are looking to taste a melody of different olives, there is the five-variety olive assortment. In addition to the conventional olive, they sell a variety of large green stuffed Sicilian olives filled with jalapeño, almonds, garlic, provolone, or Gorgonzola.

The shop would be incomplete without a freshly made simple, sandwich to go and a shelf filled with choice imported Italian olive oils such as Frantoia, Italian dried pastas, delicious canned Nina tomatoes and sauces.