For 25 years, Vito Buzzerio has been “the mutz man” of Washington Street. In Hoboken-speak, “mutz” means fresh mozzarella.
During the latter years of his time at Hoboken High School in the late 1970s, Buzzerio started to work at delis throughout the mile-square city.
“As I got closer to graduation, I said, ‘Am I going to go to school, or not?’ ” he said. “I decided to get some experience under my belt at some delis. I knew I wanted to open my own deli one day.”
Twenty-five years ago, he opened Vito’s Deli, which has become a local cultural phenomenon. It has been featured in magazines for its fresh mozzarella and sandwiches, and young men pack the place every weekend morning to get their eats before the big game.
Buzzerio continues to make “mutz” out of the Washington Street establishment.
‘Store for sale’
At the age of 24 in 1986, Buzzerio decided to open his own store.
Before he opened his deli, he commuted to Kenilworth to work at Geno’s Deli, a supersized Italian deli that made its own pasta.
“I was open seven days a week, but it felt like 10 days a week.” – Vito Buzzerio
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A family business
The business soon became a family project.
“I had my mom in the kitchen helping me,” he said. “She’s a great cook. My family members also helped me; brothers and sisters, and I had weekend help from kids doing stock work.”
Vito’s has become a popular lunch spot and pre-tailgate stop for football fans, but it wasn’t always that way.
“It took until the early 1990s to pick up speed a little, but I started to make a name for myself,” he said. “I was open seven days a week, but it felt like ten days a week. There were times when I threw my hands up in the air, saying, ‘It’s too much.’ But I had the energy. My mother was always pushing me, saying it’s going to get better, and I haven’t looked back since.”
A changing Hoboken
Over the years, Buzzerio said that Washington Street has transformed right in front of his eyes (and store).
A description of Washington Street in the mid-1980s by Buzzerio mirrors a scene out of a Martin Scorsese film, with old Italian families on the street, cigars in the mouths of the men, and people sitting outside on stoops. Now, with the influx of commuters and young professionals in Hoboken, his style has adapted.
“Nobody has time to cook anymore,” he said. “So we developed frozen dinners. People have beautiful homes, beautiful condos, and beautiful kitchens, but nobody likes to cook.”
How to make mozzarella
So what’s the key to a successful Hoboken Italian deli?
“The mutz,” Buzzerio said referring to his famous mozzarella. “I feel like I was born to make it.”
He said, “And the people I teach; I stay with them for weeks on end to help them learn how to make it. I could never get tired of making mutz or indulging in it.”
In a special presentation for the Reporter, Buzzerio made approximately 10 pounds of mozzarella in less than 10 minutes.
“The best way I can describe the feel of mutz is like a wet pizza dough,” he said.
In order to make mozzarella, Buzzerio takes “curd” and switches it back and forth between hot and room temperature water, molding the shape along the way.
“The timing and temperature in the water are most important,” he said. “If it’s too hot it comes out too soft, and if it’s too cold the curd doesn’t come out nicely.”
A man’s game
Work in delis used to be, and in some places remain, a man’s game.
“At one time my mother was the only lady in the whole place,” Buzzerio said. “It was a man’s game; all the local delis had men working. Even ones named after women, it was the guys always working in the back. But I try to make it feel like a family here. We go out to dinner once in a while; when we have parties we invite each other’s families…we exchange gifts at Christmas time.”
So will Vito’s remain a family business, handed down to the next generation? It could happen, Buzzerio said.
“My sons are going to school and are working here,” he said.
Residents and passersby ocasionally interrupted Buzzerio’s interview with an occasional “Hey Vito.”
Buzzerio said he’d like to see his business stay in the family.
“It’s not a bad gig,” he said.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com