By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — Longtime owner of Alcamo’s Market, Giovanni Chimento, died May 22 at the age of 73.
“With extremely heavy hearts we announce that Alcamo’s owner, Giovanni Chimento, has passed away,” the market’s Facebook page read. “Johnny will be greatly missed by all of us, as well as the many people lucky enough to have known him.”
Visitation for Chimento was held at McFarland Foss Funeral Home, 5401 Schafer Road on May 25 and the funeral service took place May 26 at St. Barbara’s Church, 13534 Colson.
Memorial contributions can be made to children in need of St. Barbara and St. Cunegunda Parish, according to the funeral’s home website.
Chimento’s wife, Pina, and daughter, Emily, will continue to run the market, at 4423 Schaefer Road, which will be closed until May 30.
Over 55 years ago, Chimento opened the market to originally provide customers hard-to-find Italian imports, fresh bread, imported meats and cheeses, and a variety of wine to cater to the customers’ needs.
The market then added a full-service deli where the customer demand for sub sandwiches grew.
In 2017, Emily Chimento told MLive that the market’s deli and sandwich making grew from a few subs to a few hundred subs.
The most popular sub at the market is the eight-inch Italian original sandwich which has Genoa salami, cooked prosciutto, aged provolone, capicola, mortadella with a house sauce that costs $5. It was voted MLive’s Best Sub Sandwich in Michigan in May 2017.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)