PRIMAVERA ITALIAN SPECIALTIES | Catering Menu

A century old tradition still exists in Massapequa New York. Primavera Meats has developed over the years with strong family roots and conventional business practices.

Establishing itself in Brooklyn in 1902 and continuing on to Manhattan, the Primavera family has been an essential part to any community in which it serves. At their present location for only 3 years, but serving Massapequa for the past 20 years, they have become a household name to which other newcomers in the business try to replicate. But time and time again, Primavera rises above them all. The tradition has been handed down from Tom Sr. to sons Christopher, Daniel and Tom Jr.

Upon entry to this upscale butcher shop, the senses are overwhelmed with sights and smells of a handsomely decorated store and the aromas of prepared foods, roasting chickens and cheeses. The shelves are loaded with many varieties of olive oil, preserved olives, roasted red peppers, jars of anchovies and vibrant green capers. All shapes and sizes of dried pasta are within your reach, as is a refrigerated case containing over 30 varieties of cheese. A reach-in freezer offers homemade pastas of varied ravioli filled with your choice of shrimp and cheese or lobster meat or asparagus with smoked mozzarella or tomato basil mozzarella, to name just a few. Freshly prepared delicacies fill another case for those who want gourmet-like prepared foods to grab and go. You can actually cater your dinner party complete from these showcases. Offerings include chicken Marsala or Francese, eggplant rollatini, stuffed breads, varieties of pasta salads and vegetable salads too numerous to mention, Italian quiche with artichokes and roasted red peppers, and more.

The back of the shop holds yet another long refrigerated display overflowing with even more homespun goodies. My taste buds were dancing around vivaciously. It’s hard to focus when so many delectable items are within view. I remember seeing sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic, roasted yellow and red peppers entrenched in a breadcrumb-like pottage, crab cakes, boccacini salad, raviolette salad, lobster salad, mushroom salad, red potato salad with string beans and herbs, all the marinated olives you could want for, and of course fresh mozzarella with the milk oozing from this tender orb, guaranteeing it’s freshness. I think you may actually be able to taste the love with which all this has been prepared from. Basically, if you don’t see it, you don’t need it. Turning the corner of this case towards the meat case, you will hit upon rice balls, potato croquettes, grilled and fried chicken cutlets, Italian egg rolls, freshly roasted Bell and Evans chickens, fried broccoli and cauliflower florets, chicken rollatine, and once again, so much more.

If you choose home prep, there are top of the line steaks, ribs, homemade sausages and poultry, cut with the precision of a skilled butcher. To enhance your home cooking, some butcher offerings area so ready, all you have to do is start the grill at home. Things like marinated beef skirt steaks, seasoned pinwheels, chicken and shrimp kebabs, and about 8 varieties of marinated chicken cutlets.

No matter where you turn in this store, the eye appeal of the food reaches out to you saying, “buy me, taste me, eat me.” The informative and helpful staff really enjoys servicing their customers, ensuring a satisfying shopping experience, and since the majority of employees are family, they are willing to go the extra step to help meet your requests.  It is apparent that Primavera is not just a name, it’s a family.