After a fire destroyed it two summers ago, a New Haven gem reopened this week, and the deli is serving up much more than its mouth-watering sandwiches.
It was business as usual at B&M Deli in New Haven’s Fair Haven section as customers waited in line for one of its famous steak and cheese subs. The deli has been on Ferry Street ever since it opened back in the 60s.
”It’s a neighborhood staple,” Brian Foley of New London said. “Everybody comes here.”
But tragedy struck two years ago when a fire destroyed the beloved business.
“I was here when the fire happened and it was just so sad, just to see this go, and we thought it wasn’t going to come back,” Jeanette Washington, who lives next door, said.
Owner Bob Mercurio did not have a free moment during Friday’s lunch hour. Regulars like Brian Delvecchio said seeing him was as comforting as the food.
“It keeps the community together, I’m sure. It doesn’t get no better. Everybody that comes here has been coming here.”
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And while Mercurio may not have known what was in store for him, people said now that he’s back in business, they will not be taking their business anywhere else.
“When he opened up, everybody came back and gave him love,” said Washington.
