Talking Shop with Jerry Spinelli

Jerry and Mary Ellen Spinelli have been bringing authentic Italian food and good old-fashioned hospitality to Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood for almost 15 years.  I sat down with Jerry at his famed 23rd Street Italian market, Spinelli’s, to talk about business, family, and why every person has a right to eat great food every day.
ATC: Spinelli’s has been open since 1994. What made you decide to open an Italian market, and why in Park Hill?

JS: Well, I’d been working in nightclubs for years – I owned a bar, a live music joint, on South Broadway with my brother – and was looking to move on from that. My wife, Mary Ellen, was working in real estate and just hating it, she just wasn’t having any fun. We have family in New York City and would visit a lot and go to all those great Italian markets, and realized that there really wasn’t anything like that in Denver. Eventually I said to myself “I can do that.” I’d pass this spot all the time, and back then it was just a run-down convenience store. We thought that it would make a good spot for a market, so we got in touch with the owners and eventually convinced them to sell to us.

ATC: Spinelli’s is obviously something of a neighborhood institution. How is Park Hill (and it’s inhabitants) different today than it was when you opened your doors 14 years ago?

JS: The neighborhood has changed, sure, but it’s still the same great neighborhood. Mary Ellen grew up here, went to Blessed Sacrament over on Elm, so we know this area inside and out. It’s really diverse here. We’ve got all kinds of customers, and it’s been like that since we opened. I think that’s what makes Park Hill a great place to live.

ATC: Everyone says the same thing about Spinelli’s: the deli is always stocked and fresh, the prepared entrees are spectacular…but the best thing about this place is that Jerry and Mary Ellen know your name when you walk in the door and make you feel like family. The neighborhood has embraced you because you’ve embraced it, it seems–has it always been thisway, or did you struggle to find your niche when you first opened?

JS: We struggled a little—the neighborhood was skeptical of us. The owners
who were here before us had a decent thing going with what was just a cigarette shop, really, a convenience store. So the first month we were open I started to bring in fresh produce, and the neighborhood people got curious, started checking us out. And within the first six or seven months we got the deli up and running and business just started to take off. Now we have a monthly menu of prepared entrees, which is really popular.

ATC: Who does the cooking and creates the recipes?

JS: Our talented chef is Chris Rodgers, who has been with us for about nine years now. I used to do the cooking before Chris came on board - I still make the pomorola sauce that goes into a lot of our lasagnas and prepared dinners – but Chris has done most of the cooking for a long time now, and also started
Spinelli’s Sauce Company with me.

ATC: When did Spinelli’s Sauce Company come to be? Where can people find your sauces?

JS: Chris and I started Spinelli’s Sauce Company about a year and a half ago. We sell our sauces here at Spinelli’s, obviously, and at Whole Foods, King Soopers, and Tony’s.

ATC: I know that you’ve spent some time in Italy. How did that experience affect the products you make and sell? How did it affect your attitude toward food and eating?

JS: Yes, I’ve been to Italy several times, and my family is from there. I absolutely love the culture, and especially the food culture. In America we eat on the run, we eat processed foods all the time. In Italy it’s much more about sharing a meal with friends and family, taking your time, and enjoying fresh, local foods, so yes, I try to bring that concept to Spinelli’s. I strongly believe that healthy, fresh, good food is every person’s right—this is how I got into the Slow Food Movement.

ATC: Tell me more about the Slow Food Movement. What is it? When did you get involved in it?

JS: The Slow Food Movement is an international organization that promotes good, clean and fair food. The movement’s philosophy is that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that doesn’t harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should
receive fair compensation for their work. Believing that you have the right to good, quality food every day isn’t elitist - good food is for everyone. I first got involved with a few neighborhood people – Harry Walker, Sally Kennedy, and Matt Jones - we’d just get together here at Spinelli’s and drink wine and eat good food and talk about how to spread the concept and philosophy in Denver. Now Matt heads up the Slow Food Convivium in Denver and has a lot of interesting projects he’s working on.

ATC: What are some resources for east Denver residents who are interested in learning more about the Slow Food Movement?

JS: Well, for one, there’s a great publication out there called Edible Front Range that focuses on local Colorado food, farms and cuisine (www.ediblefrontrange.com). Check out www.slowfooddenver.org or www.slowfoodUSA.org for information on local and national Slow Food events.

ATC: What is the secret to running a successful business?

JS: One thing: You have to be consistent, every single day. If you say you’re opening the doors at 9am every day, you have to open the doors at 9am every day, no matter what. People want consistency. I spend a lot of time here, and there’s a reason for that – I have to know that my business is running how I want it to run.

ATC: When the two of you decide to retire will your children take over the business?

JS: No way—my kids are too smart for this! My daughter is working on her master’s degree in sociology with a concentration in Marxist theory, and my son is an actor in LA, so they’re not coming back to run Dad’s business. But that’s OK, because we’re not going anywhere.