In the Italian countryside outside Naples where MichelinaLombardi raised her young family,Easter was celebrated with pizza rustica, a savory, oven-baked pie layered with prosciutto, soppressata, pancetta, eggsand sheep’s-milk cheeses. Today Mrs. Lombardi, known as Mamma, her son Guy and his eight siblings carry on the tradition at Lombardi’s Market.
The Lombardi family moved to the United States from Italy in 1968 and has been in the restaurant business on Long Island since 1976; the market opened in 2003. The 12,000-square-foot space, once the Holbrook Post Office, has Italian frescoes, terra cotta urns and a scattering of marble-topped cafe tables in front of the espresso bar and pastry counter.
The makings of an Italian Easter feast here include pizza rustica ($8.99 a pound), antipasto platters (starting at $17.99 for two pounds), storemade pastas ($3.99 a pound), six kinds of Mamma Lombardi’s sauces ($6.99 for a 32-ounce jar), cheeses ($7.99 a pound and up), and desserts like struffoli, deep-fried dough balls drizzled with honey ($13.50 for a one-pound tray). There is still time to order a whole lamb ($250 for 24 pounds), a baby goat ($265 for 24 pounds) or a rabbit ($8.99 a pound) from the butcher department. They are seasoned and oven-ready, or cooked for a surcharge.

read_more