Lina Pizza wife of Alfonso Pizza, Founder of A & LP Foods.
Our story begins with a young girl named Lina Pizza (pictured
above as an adult) who hailed from the village Castello dei
Giudici ("Castle of Judges") in Italy. In 1918, at the tender age
of 17, Lina came to America by herself. She settled in Swedeland,
PA (west of Philadelphia) where her relatives had a store. There
she met her husband, Alfonso (also pictured below), who owned a
bottling works, a grocery store, and the first radio in Ambler,
PA.
Alfonso Pizza
Founder of A & LP Foods
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During the Great Depression, Lina and Alfonso
fed a good portion of Ambler on credit; they lost everything
except a truck which they used to move to South Philadelphia. This
enterprising young couple soon had thriving businesses in South
Philadelphia. After a summer visit to North Wildwood, they
purchased the current location at 15th and New Jersey and began
their grocery store and deli in 1953. Because there were no
deliveries in the Wildwoods during the early 50s, Alfonso carried
produce on the bus from South Philadelphia to sell in the North
Wildwood store. The store was enlarged in 1957. Tragically, in
1958, Alfonso was killed as he transported produce from South
Philadelphia. Lina was a fixture behind the counters of A & LP
until her death at age 96.
We are now into our 3rd generation of family management of A & LP
Foods. We continue the tradition of supplying Italian specialty
items in our grocery store. We also continue to make our own
sausage, tomato sauce, and pasta on our premises. We also cut our
own steaks for our "Philly Cheesesteak" sandwiches. Our Italian
Hoagies have been recognized by Philadelphia Magazine as an
outstanding value in the Wildwoods.
As we move into the 21st century, we are beginning to enter the
world of eCommerce with sales of our famous tomato sauce (coming
soon). We invite you to shop at our grocery store and deli, eat in
our restaurant, or call for free delivery. In the meantime, take a
photo tour (Click here for the tour).
Alfonso Pizza, Founder of A & LP Foods
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