Arthur Avenue Favorite Still Going Strong
December 15, 2009
By ERICA SOTO
Next year, Teitel Brothers, the crowning jewel of Arthur Avenue, turns 95.
“I’d like to be around for the 100th anniversary,” says owner Gilbert Teitel, a spritely 71-year-old.
Located in the heart of the Bronx’s Little Italy, the wholesale and retail shop specializes in imported Italian products, such as parmesan cheese, olive oil, and dried fruit.
The shop is on the corner of Arthur Avenue and East 186th Street, which at one time was named Teitel Brothers Street. Inside, one recent Friday afternoon, shouting customers yelled out their orders, while the men in aprons cut meat and cheese.
The shop was opened in 1915 by Teitel’s father, Jacob, a Jewish-Austrian immigrant. Jacob Teitel started out as a tailor in the Lower East Side in Manhattan, but he had heard about the Bronx neighborhood, and decided to open a shop there. Local poeple helped him pick out the right foods.
“They spoke Italian before they even spoke or mastered the English language,” Teital said about his father and his uncle Morris, who was also involved.
The neighborhood, which still has many Italians residents, has seen an influx of Albanians in the last few decades. Many own businesses and restaurants in the neighborhood.
Teitel embraces diversity, inside his shop as well as out. His employees are as diverse as the Bronx itself.
“My employees are a mix. I have Latinos, a Macedonian, I have Albanians,” he said. Erol, his employee from Macedonia, has worked there for 14 years, Teitel said. Before that, he was a Golden Glove-winning heavyweight, nicknamed “Bronx Thunder.”
Even though some Italians may have left the neighborhood, Teitel’s products keep them coming back.
“It’s home to me, it will always be my home, even if I don’t live here anymore,” said Robert Bruzio, who now lives in Mahopac, an hour’s drive from the shop. He has fond memories of coming to the shop as a kid and sneaking olives from the open bins.
What keeps him coming back? He produces, writes and directs TV commercials. Teitel, one of his biggest clients, has had his commercials run during televised Yankee games, he said.
Frank Adinolfi, 68, and retired, used to live on 182nd Street and Belmont Avenue. He has been coming to Teitel Brothers since he was seven. He was visiting from Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn to get authentic Italian food. “We got some cheese, we’ll get some fish, we’ll get some meat, we’ll get a little of everything. Whatever we need at home,” he said.
In addition, Teitel has had several high profile customers, including Hillary Clinton, ex-New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, and recently Mel Gibson.
Teitel prides himself on customer service. At supermarkets, people stand in line, and nobody talks to you, he said. But not at his shop. “They’re not another number,” he said of his loyal customers.
Teitel used to work six days a week, but at 71, has knocked it down to four. When he’s not working, he occasionally hits the gym. He also goes flying with his son, Eddie, who’s a pilot, like his father.
Stuck in Montauk traffic and frustrated one Labor Day years ago, Teitel went to a nearby airport on a whim and became hooked. Soon, he was taking lessons and earned his private and commercial licenses, taking trips to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
Looking back at all the years of service, Teitel considers it a compliment that people have kept coming back. He’s proud of the shop that his sons Eddie, Michael and Gene now run.
“It is quite a history. And I hope they carry it on for a fourth generation,” he said.
Editor’s note: Teitel Brothers is located at 2372 Arthur Ave. For information, call (718) 733-9400 or visit www.teitelbros.com.
Audio slideshow and photos by Erica Soto.
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