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Mike and Kathy Femminella moved to Florence, S.C., from Long Island three years ago and opened Positano Deli and Market in September 2025.
Photo by John Russell
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Mike Femminella prepares pizzas for his Positano Deli and Market, where he makes the mozzarella from scratch.
Photo by John Russell
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Italian subs are a best-seller at Positano Deli and Market in Florence, S.C., along with other specialties such as focaccia pizzas, pepperoni rolls, house-filled cannoli and freshly made salads.
Photo by John Russell
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Holy cannoli! About three-quarters of Positano’s customers are transplants to the Florence area, Mike Femminella estimates. Here, they find an authentic Italian American taste of home.
Photo by John Russell
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No one makes sauce like a true Italian. As an ode to his roots, Mike Femminella named Positano Deli and Market after his birthplace, Positano, Italy.
Photo by John Russell
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In addition to freshly made meals, Positano Deli and Market stocks Italian American grocery staples from pasta and sauces to picked vegetables and imported cheeses.
Photo by John Russell
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“I knew there were a lot of other people who had moved here from up north,” says Mike Femminella, owner of Positano Deli and Market in Florence. “The demand was there … so it made sense to open an Italian market and deli here.”
Photo by John Russell
Bucatini pasta. San Marzano tomatoes. Pecorino cheese. Soppressata sausage. Castelvetrano olives. Just a decade or so ago, the hunt for these and other products coveted by Italian Americans—or Americans who love Italian food—was largely a futile effort in South Carolina.
And those who’d moved to the Palmetto State from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other far-flung places where Italian delis and markets are part of life’s fabric could just fuhgeddaboudit. Not even a newfound love for shrimp and grits could temper cravings for a good “chicken parm,” garlic knots or freshly made mozzarella.
The options were clear: Live with the longing, or do something about it. Much to the benefit of everyone, several entrepreneurs have stepped up in the last few years to fill the niche. Today, South Carolinians don’t need to head north for that authentic Italian American market and deli experience. It can be had in nearly every region of the state thanks to changing demographics.
Even in the heart of the Pee Dee, you can get your cannoli on. When Positano Deli and Market opened its doors in Florence last September, the community swarmed the small space.
Proprietor Mike Femminella moved from Long Island with his wife, Kathy, three years ago, bringing with him years of experience as an Italian deli/market owner. Though opening another business was not part of his plan, he couldn’t help but notice there was no dedicated purveyor of Italian goods in the vicinity.
“I knew there were a lot of other people who had moved here from up north,” says Mike, whose business was named for his birthplace, Positano, Italy. “The demand was there. I wasn’t exactly ready for retirement, so it made sense to open an Italian market and deli here.”
Mike estimates that about 75% of his customers are transplants to the area. His best sellers: Italian subs, focaccia pizzas, pepperoni rolls and the freshly made salads featured in his deli case. Grocery-wise, he sells pastas, canned tomatoes and sauces, pickled vegetables and olives, imported cheeses, house-filled cannoli, Italian cookies and a whole lot more.
“I also make my own mozzarella, and our bread is made from New York dough,” Mike says.
Visit any Italian deli and market in South Carolina, and you’ll likely hear a similar story.
In nearby Conway, Leone’s Italian Deli is doing brisk business. New Jersey natives Jim and Anne-Marie Leone identified a need to deliver an Italian deli experience to the rapidly growing community, and they did just that in 2024.
“The goal was to introduce traditional Italian recipes, freshly prepared foods and classic deli sandwiches made with high-quality ingredients,” Jim says. “Some of our most popular items include our chicken cutlet sandwiches and classic Italian subs like the Angelo, which was named for our first grandson.”
Leone’s is Conway’s headquarters for premium Italian deli meats, cheeses, freshly prepared salads, homemade sauces, cutlets and other traditional prepared foods. Just across the street, Italian food lovers can sit down to a meal at the recently opened Leone’s Italian Ristorante.
The booming trend to satisfy the “Southern Yankee” palate is strong in the capital city, too. Joe Cardinale’s Italian deli and market concept, Enzo’s, is a rousing favorite among people born here, there and just about anywhere.
“I decided to open an Italian deli after I moved from my native New York,” says Joe. “I couldn't find a New York-style Italian deli sandwich or typical Italian and Italian American grocery items anywhere.”
Open since August 2020, Enzo’s is renowned for hefty cold and hot sandwiches. The Chicken Vodka—chicken cutlets layered with fresh mozzarella, vodka sauce and pecorino Romano—is wildly popular.
Like Mike at Positano, Joe makes mozzarella and relies on weekly bread shipments from the Bronx for sandwich-making. Take-and-bake pasta casseroles, eggplant Parmesan, artichoke pie and the savory, dense Italian pie, torta rustica, fly out of the case. And in the drink department, Enzo’s distinguishes itself from other such establishments.
“We are proud to offer wines from all 20 regions of Italy,” Joe says.
If you’re a transplant in need of a sweet hug from back home, hear this: Many of these businesses offer slices of New York-style cheesecake and that quintessential deli treat, puffy “half-moon” black-and-white cookies—just the thing to bridge the miles between North and South.