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The Secret To Running A 93-Year-Old Butcher Shop In Brooklyn
By
Nell Casey
Published Mar 3, 2015
Modified Mar 3, 2015
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By
Nell Casey
Published Mar 3, 2015
Modified Mar 3, 2015
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We're blessed to have many wonderful butcher shops in NYC, from new wave hipster operations like the Meat Hook to old guard family-run institutions like G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store. The latter is the subject of a new short film by Brinda Adhikari, a Brooklyn filmmaker who has been a loyal customer of Esposito's for 12 years.
"I love the guys there—their work ethic, their general sense of humor and love of what they do," Adhikari explains. "It's a true gem of this city. Old and young come to this place. Hipsters and grandmas. Everybody loves them." Adhikari spent a few days filming third generation owners and brothers George and John Esposito as they prepped meats and mozz, chatted up longtime customers and talked about family and the store's nearly 100 year history.
George explains how the store has changed since its beginnings on Columbia Street in 1922, from a shifting neighborhood title—Red Hook to Carroll Gardens—and the way tastes and eating styles have morphed since he was a reluctant worker as a young boy. "Back then, it was a lot more meat display, a lot of people cooked more," he recalls. "So we sell a lot more of certain things and a lot less of certain other things but thanks God we're still here and we're doing okay."
"The secret to a business lasting nearly a hundred years is love. Love what you're doing and put your heart and soul into it. That's pretty much the secret," according to George. "Treat the customers with respect and love and treat your food and the quality with respect and love. That's what makes you keep going for the first hundred...we'll see about the second hundred."
Esposito's Pork Store, Brooklyn from Brinda Adhikari on Vimeo.
The shop is well-known for its fresh, homemade sausage and off-menu sandwiches; Adhikari loves their soppressata and risotto balls stuffed with prosciutto.
Tagged
butcher shops
carroll gardens
esposito's pork store
red hook
Nell Casey
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