On Fire Island, where groceries can be hard to find and even harder to afford, a beloved Long Island gourmet brand is helping make summer living a little easier—and a lot more delicious.
Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, known throughout the region for its premium ingredients, prepared meals, and authentic flavors, began delivering groceries, prepared meals, and catering platters to Fire Island four years ago. The gourmet Italian grocer brings everything from burgers, sausages, sushi, and seafood specialties to homemade pastas, fresh salads, fruit platters, and custom cakes to beach houses, rentals, and summer gatherings across the barrier island.
And last month, Uncle Giuseppe’s reopened its seasonal pop-up shop inside Ocean Beach Trading in Ocean Beach, offering curated grab-and-go items for day-trippers and popular grocery items for long-term vacationers.
Delivery Service
For many Fire Island visitors, Uncle Giuseppe’s delivery service solves a familiar summertime challenge. Grocery options on the island are limited and pricey, and transporting supplies by ferry often means hauling coolers, bags, and cases across docks and boardwalks.
Now, customers can place orders online through Uncle Giuseppe’s e-commerce platform at UncleG.com, selecting “Fire Island delivery” for access to the full inventory available in the retailer’s stores, which extend across Long Island and into New Jersey and Westchester.
“You go online, choose what you want, and we deliver your groceries the next day or whatever day you choose,” says Michael Nelson, president of Uncle Giuseppe’s. “It’s a great opportunity to get groceries on Fire Island at the same price as stores,” except for a delivery charge to cover the ferry fees.
That means vacationers can stock a rental home with fresh produce, meats, pasta, snacks, beverages, and prepared meals without leaving the beach. The service has expanded steadily each year since launching four summers ago and now reaches destinations across the island.
“Early and late in the season, most requests for deliveries are on weekends, but during the peak season—from the third week of June through August—we get calls all seven days, all day long,” Nelson says.
Catering
The company’s catering business has become especially popular for summer entertaining. Backyard barbecues, beach parties, and family gatherings can all be supplied through Uncle Giuseppe’s extensive catering menu, which features custom buffet packages, Italian specialties, seafood platters, sushi, hot entrée trays, appetizer platters, sandwiches, mozzarella and tomato platters, salads, fruit platters, brunch spreads, mouthwatering desserts, beverages, and coffee service.
A popular summer offering is the company’s “BBQ in a Bag,” designed to simplify hosting for vacationers who may not want to spend hours planning a cookout.
“It’s a nice, easy solution,” Nelson says. “You don’t have to think about what’s a good assortment for, say, eight or 10 people.” Shoppers can choose from several “BBQ in a Bag” packages, which come in the company’s iconic red bag and include items like burgers, hot dogs, sausages, buns, and all the fixings, plus corn on the cob, side salads, vegetable kabobs, and more.
Orders for the grill can be customized with Uncle Giuseppe’s wide assortment of options, including gourmet burgers or sliders made from beef, chicken, turkey, or pork. Other popular grill options include a wide selection of sausages, colossal shrimp, marinated meats, salmon fillets, chicken kabobs, and mini flank steak pinwheels with grated cheese, garlic, and parsley.
Uncle Giuseppe’s pretzel rolls and scratch-made focaccia breads add a delicious touch to any meal. For dessert, the grocer pleases all palates with a wide assortment of specialty cakes, pies, cookies, pastries, tarts, and more.
Pop-up Store
For day-trippers looking for something to eat at the beach, Uncle Giuseppe’s seasonal pop-up at Ocean Beach Trading offers a grab-and-go alternative.
“We have a great partner in Ocean Beach Trading,” Nelson says of the Fire Island grocery store, which is located at the corner of Bay Walk and Bayberry Walk, just steps from the sand. “We’re excited to be back this summer.”
Nelson adds that the store and the pop-up are open seven days a week during the peak season.
As it enters its second summer, the pop-up’s selection has been refined based on what customers gravitated toward most during its debut season.
“It’s more curated this year,” Nelson says. “What sold well last year, we leaned on.”
Popular items include sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, Italian sushi, fruit cups, and other beach-friendly favorites designed for people spending the day by the water. The shop will also carry fresh pasta, sauces, meats, cheese platters, and other items for vacationers staying for extended periods who want easy meal options without having to dine out every night.
The Fire Island expansion is one of the newest services provided by the family-focused supermarket, which opened its first location in East Meadow in 2001 and now has 12 locations in New York and New Jersey and ships nationally. Committed to selling the tastiest food made with traditional, old-fashioned Italian recipes and the highest-quality ingredients available, Uncle Giuseppe’s provides a unique shopping experience modeled after the way the founders’ grandparents used to shop. Walking around an Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace store is akin to visiting separate neighborhood markets for items like meat, seafood, produce, pasta, cheese, and baked goods, all combined under one roof with a full-service supermarket.
Now, the delicious bounty that’s available in Uncle Giuseppe’s locations across Long Island is reaching beyond the mainland to the beaches, boardwalks, and backyards of Fire Island.
For more information about Uncle Giuseppe’s or to place your order, visit UncleG.com or call (631) 940-5810.
