About 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 above), who owned a bottling works, a grocery store, and the first radio in Ambler, PA. 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).

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