A reader writes in to tell about our recent profiles of Alleva Dairy and Murray’s Cheese in the current Dairy issue, remembering several decades of shopping at both of these incredible shops, which now requires half a day’s drive: “I now live in exile in Maryland and happily drive 4 hours to shop at both institutions.” We appreciate the compliment, and we’ll see you in line at both shops.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
I’ve been subscribing for a couple of years and this issue is one of the best in that time. I especially enjoyed the article on Alleva’s; I am the fourth generation of my family to shop there (my great-grandfather cameto NYC from San Leucio del Sannio in Benevento around 1900). My son will hopefully make it five. Also, I’ve been shopping at Murray’s since I lived The Summer of ’83 on Cornelia Street when the store was down a door from the corner of Bleecker. It was a tiny little place with cheeses and accoutrements piled on top of each other which added to its charm. Zito’s Bakery on Bleecker was still around then and the combination of the finest cheeses and theCity’s best Italian bread made for some incredibly romantic summer evenings. Alleva’s is a holdout in the Little Italy wilderness but Murray’s is still part of a small hold-on Italian enclave. I now live in exile in Maryland and happily drive 4 hours to shop at both institutions (and others like Faicco’s on Bleecker). Thanks for the articles. Keep up the fine work.
