Patty Zoccoli’s journey to becoming co-owner of long-standing locals’ favorite deli began in the early ’80s, when she was hired at Zoccoli’s as a lettuce chopper. She ended up finding not only a career but also a husband, meeting Craig Zoccoli. His grandfather founded the now iconic business in 1948. Six months before the 1989 earthquake, Patty, Craig and his brother Russell became owners.
Patty describes the deli’s ambiance as traditional old-school Italian, the original hardwood floors pairing with charmingly stuck-in-time décor. The menu burgeons with soups, sandwiches, pastas and salads, a blend of Italian and American deli classics. Patty says the top-selling sandwich is the chicken pesto with roasted red peppers and Swiss cheese. Her personal fave is the Castroville Italian—with artichokes, salami, prosciutto, pepperoncini and provolone cheese—and the shrimp salad sandwich also has strong local lore.
Send-worthy salads include potato, macaroni and chef’s salads; handmade daily soups are headlined by the heritage minestrone, and pasta selections include ravioli and lasagna. Beer and wine are among assorted beverages, and desserts start with a classic family recipe blondie chocolate chip cookie bar as well as rice crispy treats and tiramisu.
What’s the secret to being in business for almost 80 years?
PATTY ZOCCOLI: Providing warm and personalized customer service and always treating our guests as family. We are also generational; the business itself is in its fourth family generation and many of our customers and their families have been coming here for several generations as well. And when it comes to the food, we put paramount importance on quality and making everything we possibly can from scratch. We care deeply about what we serve, and the love is evident in the smiles on our guests’ faces.
Tell me about your great staff.
We consider our employees extended family; a lot of them have been with us for 25 years or more. I myself am one of them. Starting as an hourly employee over 30 years ago and now being an owner, I’ve experienced both sides. We hire a lot of students and young adults as their first job. Many have stayed with us, and others have gone on to other professions and have come back to tell us how much this job set them up for success.
1534 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-423-1711; zoccolis.com
I ate lunch there every day for over three years until my occupation moved out of town. Very grateful to know the family. One day in 1991 they were filming a TV drama on my street. I was sitting outside on the phone with a clipboard promoting records. A assistant to the film crew asked me what I’d like for lunch. I gave them a complex sandwich order and a Diet Dr.Pepper from Zoccoli’s He came back with that lunch exactly like I had ordered.