I Am a Pilgrim - The Annual Pilgrimage to Claro's Italian Market

All Italian-American children who grew up in the 50's can close their eyes and be transported to the Italian Deli where their parents purchased imported Italian meats, cheese, pasta, pastries to grace their tables on special days.  I can remember the one my dad used to go to, Ciconi's, a little red brick building on the corner of a street on the south side of Kent, Ohio. The owner was actually a distant cousin and it felt friendly when we entered but I didn't really like it.  It was small, crowded with items piled haphazardly.  It was dark because there were few windows and the ones they had were very high above the shelving.  It was smelly because it had cheeses and salamis hanging from the ceilings.  And it had sawdust on the floors that stuck to my shoes. But in we went and my dad would gather all the items on his list and then pile them into the car like treasures.

Years have passed and I now live in Southern California...where dining and shopping for food items has reached a state of glamour.  There is a Bristol Farms and a Whole Foods (or whole paycheck as some call it) within a stone's throw from my house.  But when the holidays approach and I begin to compile my shopping list, I tell my husband we must make THE trip, about 50 minutes to the east of us to San Gabriel, CA to purchase the Italian items I need for Christmas Eve.  "What is wrong with Bay Cities Market in Santa Monica?," he asks me, "It's Italian."  My eyes roll and I try not to sound patronizing as I reply ..."their meats are Boar's Head...that is NOT Italian."  So, this morning we climbed into our car...despite the fact that it was pouring rain and had dropped over 3 inches on the southland in the last 24 hours...and headed east to my mecca...Claro's Italian Market.

Claro's Market, Valley Blvd., San Gabriel, CA

To give you an idea of why Claro's meets my standards for authentic Italian, look at the floor that greets me as I push open the door....SAWDUST!

I walk slowly up and down the aisles like a child in a candy store, trying to restrain myself from impulse purchases.  My sense are overwhelmed with the smells from the meats and cheeses and the sounds as workers and regular customers shout out to each other and Italian Christmas music plays in the background.

An old (older than I) Italian woman stands at the meat counter insisting that the young man serving her, cut her cappacolo thinner so she can practically read the newspaper through it.

The main item we cannot leave without is the homemade Italian Sausage.  Sausage with Peppers and Onions is a requirement on our Family Christmas Eve Menu.

Jay is eyeing the canned Scungelli (conch) hoping for a seafood salad.  I am asking if they have any fresh or salted sardines and the clerk yells out across the store, "Hey, Frank, we got any sardines??"

When all the items are selected, we join the line of customers waiting to reach the cash register

...our total $111.33...and that is without any wine!  What did I buy?
10 pounds of sausage (5 sweet and 5 hot)
3 pounds of ricotta
a chunk of imported Pecorino Romano cheese
a slice of Ricotta Salata cheese to grate on pasta
three packages of imported pasta (one of Gabriel's new favorite...cavatappi)
a deli container of dried black olives (prepared on the premises)
a deli container of cracked Sicilian green olives (prepared on the premises)
a deli container of salted anchovies
a quart of Spumoni Ice Cream
1/2 pound of sliced cappacolo ham (imported...NOT Boar's Head)
1/2 pound of imported pancetta (Italian bacon)
1 package of imported Torrone candy
1 stick of imported pepperoni
1 can of Scungelli (yes, he will have his seafood salad)
2 ounces of anise oil...not extract!
bread
and....oh, yes, as we hand the checker an empty wrapper, $3.99 for the Italian sandwich Jay already ate while we were shopping.

Authentic Italian Delis are becoming rare in our world.  I am grateful that there is still a Claro's Italian Market, even if it means a long drive to get there.  The pilgrimage is half the fun!