Italian immigrants, Mike and Frances Grispino, opened their first butcher shop in 1971. Called Mike’s Meat Market, the shop also became known for offering Italian specialties, spices, and products that Mike and Frances imported because they couldn’t find them anywhere in America.

Later, they changed the name of the market to the source of their imports — the town where Mike and Frances grew up, Altomonte, Italy. Altomonte is located right in the heart of Calabria in southern Italy. Though even today it’s a small town (just over 4,000 people), to Mike and Frances it represents the flavor and aroma of true Old World Italian cooking.