Bensonhurst's Trunzo Brothers Meat Market Closes

The closing of Trunzo Brothers Meat Market and Salumeria, a Bensonhurst staple for decades, doesn't seem to have made any news cycle, even though the final end came for the 18th Avenue institution months ago.

Seeing the Trunzo name still emblazoned on the awnings and the building's north wall, I recently walked right in expecting to buy some cheese and sausage, only to find aisle after aisle filled with cheap gift crap. It was a 99 cents store. As a sign of how willing today's youth are to forget the past—or simply remain totally ignorant of it—I had to show the clerk the awning before she believed that the place had once been an Italian deli. Only then did she remember the Trunzo had closed six months ago.


There's so much Trunzo signage left, that you have to look thrice to locate the awning that says "99 cents." You'd think they'd take some of it down. Then again, I'm glad they didn't. I hope they never do.



Trunzo—it's a great name, isn't it? The store was opened in 1974 by brothers Pasquale and Frank Trunzo. The family itself had spent fully seven generations in the meat business. They carried the usual stuff: prosciutto di Parma and Genoa salami, homemade sopressata, capicollo, pancetta, fresh buffalo mozzarella, pecorino, gorgonzola and tallegio. None of it cost 99 cents; it was worth more than that.

Here's a picture of Trunzo when it was still functioning: