NORTH MEETS SOUTH: The new layout and design include poignant reminders of the shop’s late co-owner, Mario Aversa. The menu offerings of the business remain relaibly consistent, but the vibe got a refresh. (Photos by Ryan Morrill)
Travelers from Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere in New Jersey each bring to LBI unique lingo. The greatest – and most contentious – linguistic battle on the Island may be the infamous hero-hoagie-sub debate. But the owners of Mario’s Italian Market in Surf City are definitive.
“We do want everyone to know that we have the best hero on LBI. And it’s not a hoagie, it’s a hero,” according to Virginia Zanone, new co-owner of Mario’s.
In June, Marc and Virginia Zanone were tasked with reinventing the business of their beloved friend, Mario Aversa, alongside his longtime proprietor John Musto, who took over the business in 2019 after Aversa passed away.
The Zanones and Musto were from two separate sectors of Aversa’s life – Musto in south Florida and the Zanones on LBI. Eventually, they converged as “north met south” at Mario’s, and their partnership has grown into a close friendship.
Musto “is like part of my family,” Marc said.
In the years since Aversa died, Musto had attempted other partnerships. But, for the Zanones, who also own Ship Bottom eatery Dune 18, this endeavor was personal, as Mario’s had been a core part of the couple’s and their children’s lives for the past 30 years.
“We would come down every weekend, and we’d come here, and we cut the line, and we’d get our sandwiches, head right down to the beach,” Marc reminisced.
The market is still in many ways an ode to its namesake. The wall behind the register counter is covered in a collage of photographs of the Aversa family, keeping Mario in the memories of all who enter. The group hoped to redesign the establishment to preserve its legacy while bringing the business to a new level.
“It needed to be reinvented, this place, and that’s what we did,” said Marc. “We wanted to honor our friend with a whole new establishment, but with all of the same stuff.”
Virginia, a retired interior designer, took the helm on the establishment’s facelift. The blue and white walls are painted over with a warm brown (to which Musto contributed his painting skills), delicate crown molding decorates the ceiling, and a wooden sign in the middle of the central room announces, “Mario’s Italian Market: Est. 1998.”
Virginia hoped to bring the atmosphere of a New York trattoria to the market, filling the shelves with intricate ceramic vases and the displays overflowing with imported Italian dry goods.
The glitter and glam of the new design are second only to the quality of food. The Mario’s team bakes the bread in-store every morning, creating the perfect crunch for their signature heroes. Their baked goods, from flaky cannolis to decadent cakes and cookies, are brought fresh from a New York bakery. They also provide a wide variety of homemade prepared foods like fresh roasted peppers, pastas, fried zucchini blossoms, arancini and orzo salad. Marc said the team provides twists of Asian cuisine, in such dishes as popcorn shrimp, potstickers and noodle dishes, to the mostly traditional Italian menu.
“We felt that from the time when Mario was here to the present, it did change a lot. It lost a lot of its luster. So, we wanted to bring it back,” Virginia said.
While a lot has changed about Mario’s, regulars will be relieved to find much has stayed the same. Many of the staff have worked there upward of 20 years, contributing to what the owners say is a true family establishment from the moment the door opens and the bell rings.
“(Musto) and myself are up front,” Marc said. “We know who everybody is. If you walk into a place you like, when somebody remembers your name, that matters to people.”
Mario’s is open year ’round, providing the same delicious sandwiches, comforting style and personal touch after summer ends. While honoring Aversa’s memory, Musto and the Zanones have revitalized the establishment.
“It’s more alive. It’s different,” said Marc. “We’re bringing different food – the place is coming back to life.”
— Paulina Inglima
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