Cornersburg Italian Specialities Keeps Decades of Traditions

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Katie Salupo, owner of Cornersburg Italian Specialities, took over ownership of the food store and deli from her father, Tony Tringhese, in January.

Tringhese bought the store from Anita and Tom Mraz 10 years ago and still works there daily.

Cornersburg Italian Specialties, 3381 Canfield Road, opened in 1982 under Felix Lazazzera and offers a range of deli and bakery items, imported Italian specialties, and catering.

Previously, Salupo worked as a teacher in Cleveland and Cincinnati. After spending some time managing the store for her father, she fell in love with working in a small business.

“I joke that I used to bring home three hours worth of papers to grade,” Salupo says. “Now I just bring home dinner.”

She learned a lot from her employees, many of whom have been there for 15 to 20 years, she says.

“I was supposed to be looking for a teaching job once I moved here,” Salupo says. “Instead, this came up and I loved it, so I stuck with it.”

When she and her father first took over the store, Salupo says she was often stopped in public by longtime customers who implored her not to change the recipes they knew and loved.

“Our goal when we came in was that we were not going to change any of the recipes,” Salupo says. “We were not going to disappoint any of our customers by changing things. We were just going to add things.”

One of the most popular changes has been increased catering services, Salupo says.

Tringhese says the store gets about 160 customers per day. He remembers when it got as many as 440 on Christmas Eve every year.

One of the things Salupo prides herself on is the atmosphere of her store.

“People always are nervous about family getting involved in business together,” she says. “[Tringhese] and I get along very well and we have never had an issue.”

For more information and a menu price list, visit CornersburgItalianSpecialties.com/.

Pictured at top: Katie Salupo and Tony Tringhese.

Editor’s Note: This company story was produced in conjunction with the Western Reserve Transit Authority’s “Give Small Business a Lift Campaign.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.