‘Anything in here is good’

Now that they’re back open, I’m much happier.”

Chris Gardner, Longtime customer

To the delight of old and new customers, Tamburino’s Deli, on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst, reopened on Sept. 24, after a fire swept through the eatery in April and forced it to close for the first time, other than a holiday, since it opened in 1978 at another Cedarhurst location, on Washington Avenue. 

“It was six months too long,” Andrew Labella, a customer since the Washington Avenue days, said of the reopening. Asked about his favorite menu item, he replied simply, “Anything in here is good.” 

The deli, which has been at its Central Avenue location since 2002, was renovated. The front of the store was reconfigured to include indoor seating, and the entire interior was refurbished. “The whole store was updated. Everything’s new,” said owner Joe Tamburino, who added that that an extension cord connected to the store’s ice cream freezer ignited the April 2 fire. 

The only thing that was saved from the fire was the wooden base of the counter, which Joe Guido, a family friend who owns the Brooklyn-based Foro Marble Co., has since covered in quartz, Danielle Tamburino said. Two more friends, Joe Masone and his son Joe, who own My Trade Cabinet Co. in Island Park, built a shelving unit, and Joe Tamburino’s lifelong best friend, Charles Caravella, gave the family a scale from his grandfather’s produce store that is more than 100 years old, and now sits on the top shelf of the wall behind the counter. 

“It’s been a blessing in disguise,” said Danielle Tamburino, Joe’s daughter, who has worked at the deli since 1998. “We had a blank slate to design it exactly how we wanted to,” she added. The family was in the process of making minor updates to the store, including an outdoor awning, before the fire. Michael Tamburino, Joe’s son, also works there.

The deli, known for its large sandwiches, was warmly welcomed back by customers. Since the reopening, Danielle said that the most popular item on the menu has been a customer favorite, the Tamby Special, a colossal hero consisting of ham capicola, pepperoni, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil and vinegar. 

Longtime customer Chris Gardner, of Valley Stream, said that the deli was his favorite place for breakfast and lunch, and added that he’s partial to the egg sandwiches. “Now that they’re back open,” he said, “I’m much happier.” 

Oyster Bay resident Tony Bongiovanni, who works in the Five Towns, said he has been eating at Tamburino’s for 28 years, and his menu item of choice is a ham and Swiss hero. “It’s absolutely spectacular,” he said of the renovated store, “but I miss the old charm.”

To help defray the costs of rebuilding, Dina Serafina, another of Joe’s daughters, established a GoFundMe page that attracted 76 donors and contributions totaling $7,575. A thank-you sign that will adorn the front of the store will include not only the names of the donors, but a quote from Clarence Odbody, the guardian angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life”: “No man is a failure who has friends.” 

First-time customers Daniella Brenes and Gia Felice, who recently started working nearby, learned about Tamburino’s from coworkers. They ordered turkey bacon, cheese and egg sandwiches, and when asked if they would return, Brenes said, “Definitely.” Felice responded with an enthusiastic, “For sure.” 

Have a favorite menu item or story about Tamburino’s Deli? Share it and send it to jbessen@liherald.com.