Cosmi's was established by Cosimo Quattrone - a native of Regae Calabria, Italy. He came to New York via Ellis Island in 1928, and got to be known as Cosmi in the United States. A stone mason by trade, Cosmi took on many jobs, including concrete work, and construction in New York City, before settling in South Philadelphia.
This is where he opened his dream - Cosmi's Supermarket & Grocery Store at 1501 S. 8th Street, in 1932.
At this point in time, as a grocery store, Cosmi's included 4 large aisles of groceries, a full service deli, and a full service butcher department. Cosmi's gained popularity in the neighborhood as a "Mom and Pops Supermarket," famous for their homemade sausages, and "Virginia Baked Ham." People were stopping in from all over the area.
The staff included all family members, and quickly recieved positive acclaim within the South Philadelphia neighborhood.
During the 70s' and 80's, a noticeable trend was taking place at Cosmi's. More and more people were coming in on their lunch breaks, and asking for the meats to be coupled with cheese and hoagie rolls. Cosmi's was suddenly making hoagies, and recieving wide praise for it!
The secret had always been in fresh ingredients. Fresh ingredients, and not cutting any corners. This caused an everyday grocery story to suddenly be put on the map in 1999 by being named "The Best Hoagie of Philly." This caused a huge spike in attention, and more staff had to be hired.
In 2000, an unfortunate accident in the shape of a fire caused Cosmi's to shut down for 9 months. Leon Seccia, however, saw silverlining and oppurtunity. Choosing not to be dishearted or willing to give up, Lean insteaded decided to put in a full stainless steel kitchen with deep fryers, grills, chargrills, steam tables, and farmed out of the grocery business to do what it was making headlines for - Making sandwiches and other food.
Today, Cosmi's has gained wide recognition, even going as far as to being named their favorite places to eat by celebrites (like Philly's own ?uestlove!) Visit our "Review & Press" page for all the headlines Cosmi's has made over the years, as well as all the awards and recognition we have received.
There are a few things in common between every review you read: Cosmi's uses only the best ingredients, and has the friendliest staff. This has perhaps been our secret to success for all these years.
Here are some worthy mentions, to name a few: