Laurenzo’s Italian Market, North Miami Beach

Diana Tarquinio and David Laurenzo

Update: Laurenzo's announced they will be closing their market July 31 (the farmers market across the street will stay open).

For nearly 70 years – an eternity in South Florida’s young history – Laurenzo’s has been the headquarters for everything Italian and then some. Between their farmers market, a separate building dedicated to produce, and the main building, you can find it all: pasta, made in-house and boxed; breads and pastries, including Sullivan Street Bakery bread; cases of frozen foods like wedding soup and pizza crusts; salami and cheeses, fresh meat and seafood; rows of cans of tomatoes; a shelf of different-origin Nutellas; olives oils and vinegars; wines and sweets. It’s all wrapped around a cafe in the middle, where you can get specials, a glass of wine on the marble bar while Dean Martin croons in the background.

This is a family business through and through. Ben Laurenzo, who died last year at 89, founded the supermarket in 1951, creating a place that brought together South Florida’s melting pot culture. “We’ve always had products for everyone: Spanish, Middle Eastern, Mexican,” says son David. “What’s amazing is what’s in here – you don’t find it anywhere else.” They order seasonal specialties, like chestnuts, Italian prune plums, even muscadine grapes for those few who still make their own wine.

David is especially proud of their seafood. “It may be the best in the U.S.,” he says. “My brother is a fisherman. He buys locally and picks out the best wild-caught local seafood.” Today, his niece, Diana Tarquinio, runs the produce market, marking the third generation in the business, sourcing from various vendors, including Homestead farms in season and organic produce, she says. “People are more focused on organic these days.”