Four Hundred 22 Brings Famous City Fare to Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Devin Boss is striving to bring the tastes of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to Youngstown at his new deli, Four Hundred 22 Deli, located at 1990 McCartney Road.
From Pittsburgh-style Polish Boy sandwiches to Philly cheesesteaks, Boss, who owns the deli with his wife, Kris, has enjoyed the foods made famous in their respective cities. However, he wanted to create a place where local residents could enjoy the flavors without having to travel.
“A lot of people go to the Cleveland Indians games and the Browns games, and they eat that type of food, so why go all the way up there when they’re not in season [when] you can always come here and have that same type of flavor,” he said.
Influenced by his father, Marty Ellington, who for more than 40 years has owned A Taste of Seafood and More next door to Four Hundred 22, Boss has adopted his father’s commitment to quality, he says. All food items are prepared fresh daily, he says.
“We deal with Kaleel Brothers here locally out in Boardman,” Boss says. “Nothing is coming in here frozen.”
Other menu items include fresh-cut Idora Park French fries, gyros and corned beef. Customers gravitate toward the latter, as well as the Philly cheesesteaks and Polish Boy sandwiches with barbecue sauce and coleslaw, said Mia Kennedy, an employee.
“I’ve been here since they opened and we have a friendly staff. People come in just to talk to us,” Kennedy said. “I’m really excited … I hope more people come.”
Formerly a McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Taco Bell, the space sat vacant since 2007 until Boss purchased the space two months ago. Though it was an empty storefront for those years, it was a blessing in disguise, he says.
“This building, this area just needed this,” he said. “It needed something fresh. With this new deli, we’re bringing something new to the area. I go to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia a lot, so what I wanted to do was bring all of that to this area; a lot of traffic, a lot of good people, a lot of schools.”
Looking to the future, Boss hopes to open franchises in the area, he says. Four Hundred 22 Deli is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.
Pictured above: Kris Boss (center) cuts the ribbon to Four Hundred 22 Deli with employees (from left) Jose Miranda, Joi Daniel, Mya Kennedy, Page West, Emalise Nieves and Jesse Fedres.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
