This History of DeFazio’s in Troy, New York
DeFazio's Pizzeria and Import Shop:
An Italian-American Family-Run Business Since 1951
The story of the DeFazio family is a timeless one—of realizing the American dream through hard work, imagination, and deep family loyalty. DeFazio’s Pizza is a success story of immigrants finding a new life in America. The Import Shop is a family-run business that has evolved, changed, and grown over the years under the guiding hands of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Josephine DeFazio, their son Rocco, close family members, and numerous grandchildren.
Anthony’s father emigrated to America from Calabria, Italy, in the early 1900s, and Josephine’s father came from Naples. Like many Italian immigrants, they worked in the iron and steel industries. Eventually, their families joined them in America. Anthony and Josephine grew up living across the street from each other. In 1940, when she was twenty and he was twenty-five, they married at St. Anthony’s Church in Troy.
Anthony worked for Republic Steel in Troy, where he continued to work after their marriage. He worked hard, but never seemed to get ahead. So, after a dozen years of employment there, Anthony decided to make a change. He took over a small grocery store on Fourth Street that became available when its elderly proprietor passed away. It was a gamble, but Anthony and Josephine worked hard. They cleaned up the store, modernized it, stocked the shelves with groceries, and began making and selling homemade sauces and sausages. Their modern grocery store opened in 1951 and was instantly popular in the neighborhood for its sparkling interior and delicious homemade foods.
A few years later, a small building with a storefront across the street became available. Anthony and Josephine bought the building at 264 Fourth Street and moved in. The store and kitchen are on the first floor. Anthony and Josephine lived on the second floor, where they raised their four children. Basil and tomatoes still grow in the backyard garden today.
In the 1960s, Anthony and Josephine realized they could no longer compete with the big box grocery stores in general merchandise, so they decided to specialize in Italian products and pastas. The store became DeFazio’s Import Shop, focused on Italian imports and ready-made sauces.
In 1989, the DeFazios opened another family business. With his son Rocco, Mr. DeFazio cooperated with the Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (TRIP) in their efforts to rehabilitate a neglected building at 266 Fourth Street, next door to their import store. The building was fully renovated and now provides two apartments for neighborhood families, and houses DeFazio’s Wood-Fired Pizzeria, opened in March 1989 and run by Rocco.