Renowned cheesemongers Di Bruno Bros. will debut their fifth location at The Franklin (834 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia) this fall! The 4,500-square-foot gourmet market and coffee bar will be open daily. Located on the corner of 9th and Chestnut streets, the shop will be a resource for hundreds of fine cheeses, cured meats, prepared goods and artisan products and will exude the same bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder energy that has been a part of the Di Bruno Bros. culture since founders Danny and Joe Di Bruno manned the counters. Di Bruno Bros. at The Franklin will include a full-service European-style coffee counter, signature products including olive oils and private label coffees, fresh mozzarella made on-premises throughout the day, an extensive selection of prepared foods to-go and “personal shoppers”—exclusive to this location—for the busy young professionals and families of the neighborhood.
“For 74 years and three generations, we’ve served the Philadelphia region and brought some of the world’s most exciting and delicious specialty products to our hometown,” says President Bill Mignucci, Jr., third-generation owner and grandson of Danny Di Bruno. “This new location will allow us to continue our mission of celebrating great food and great people with a warm and friendly staff.”
Di Bruno Bros. at The Franklin will satisfy a significant need in the up-and-coming residential area of Midtown West, close to Washington Square and Old City. In addition to a variety of house-made sandwiches, soups, entrees and desserts, the shop will showcase two new Di Bruno Bros. products: their own Sicilian unfiltered olive oil—available at an interactive fill-your-own bottling station and chosen by the family for its fruity, green flavor and buttery texture—and their own private label coffees from Counter Culture. In-house baristas will undergo hands-on training at Counter Culture “university,” then brew the small-batch custom-roasted beans to order using top-of-the-line La Marzocco coffee and espresso machines.
“Our longstanding relationships with international artisans as well as ties to the area’s best importers, producers and purveyors mean that we often get the very first call when they have something special to introduce to Philadelphia,” says Emilio Mignucci, Vice President of Product Pioneering, third-generation owner and cousin of Bill Mignucci.
The first Di Bruno Bros. shop debuted in the iconic South Philadelphia Italian Market in 1939. Since then, the family has grown the company, with locations in Ardmore, Rittenhouse Square and The Market & Shops at Comcast Center. It has been featured on national TV, including Travel Channel’s The Layover, hosted by chef and food personality Anthony Bourdain. Recently, author Tenaya Darlington partnered with the family to write Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese (Running Press, 2013), a comprehensive catalog of the shop’s best-known and best-loved cheeses and accompanying recipes from the family themselves.
Di Bruno Bros. at the Franklin is set to open later this fall. For more information about Di Bruno Bros., visit their website and follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
- Photography: Nina Lea Photography
