Deli manager Julie DeMartini and owner Angelo Ibleto in front of Angelo’s Deli on Highway 121.
Photo by James Golway
Rich, aromatic, zesty, spicy, thick, sweet, sometimes robust, often subtle, but always with that certain basic flavor that says: “This was made by Angelo!”
“What can I say? He likes to experiment,” said deli manager Julie DeMartini. With a good natured nudge to the ribs of the big man sitting beside her, she added, “Don’t you Angelo? You are always trying something different.”
“Yes, but,” he replied with his thick Italian accent, eyes twinkling with delight, “I always stay with the basics: homemade good food with a certain unique taste.”
Angelo Ibleto’s taste has given him a legendary status from epicurean gourmets like Francis Ford Coppola to a torrent of fans that would never think a day at the Infineon Raceway would be complete without a glorious Angelo party tray and box of his famous beef jerky by their side.
“Every race day we cater 50 or more lunches to Infineon spectators,” boasts DeMartini. “They call it in and we deliver right to the track.”
Located on Highway 121, just a stone’s throw from the entrance to Gloria Ferrer Winery, Angelo’s Deli can be easy to miss, but if you see a big steer on the rooftop, you’ve found the place that is attracting fans from far and near.
“One day a well-dressed woman rushed in, when we had just closed up,” recalled Angelo. “She was from Oklahoma. She had gotten lost somewhere around Sacramento. She heard about my beef jerky. That’s how good it is. We stayed open for her. After all, she drove all this way.”
His special beef jerky is indeed famous. Many prefer the succulent, turkey jerky; others like a taste of zippy spice and choose the hot or Cajun. At Angelo’s there are always plenty of tasty morsels to sample before settling on your choice.
Angelo offers far more. The man who brought the culinary secrets of the old world from his home town of Genoa over 30 years ago has won numerous awards and worldwide recognition for his smoked foods. Eighteen varieties of sausages, poultry, smoked ham, bacon, pork and every meat is smoked to perfection by Angelo at his smoke house in Petaluma.
Angelo’s ability to create mouthwatering feasts for robust appetites has endeared him to party organizers catering the most prestigious events. The big-wigs of American business and political influence who congregate at the annual Bohemian Grove often chow down on a feast of pork smoked by Angelo.
“We cater everything from weddings to funerals,” said DeMartini. “Everyone loves our homemade Italian food. And there is always plenty for everyone,” she added with a laugh. “Angelo makes sure of that.”
“You don’t have to be a genius to fill up stomachs,” said Angelo. “But you have to be a genius to excite the taste, the senses and give enjoyment from basic, good food. That’s what we offer.”
While Angelo is proud of his fame for smoked foods, what get’s him excited is talking about his line of Italian condiments. He denies he is in competition with his brother, Arturo, the “Pasta King” of Santa Rosa, but no one who has sampled Angelo’s Marinara Sauce can deny that the big guy from Genoa has a nose for flavor.
The sauce has a full-bodied, sweet taste but with distinctive undercurrents of spice that makes a simple pasta dish memorable. Angelo also offers a sensuous collection of mustards. The newest addition is a garlic wine mixture with a dash of horseradish.
But take my advice. When you visit this small shop with the steer on the top, don’t leave without sampling Angelo’s Italian salsa.
“At a local Mexican restaurant I was munching on some chips and salsa, and I thought…I could do this salsa different; I don’t mean better, but my way,” said Angelo. “So I started experimenting and, what do you think, it is good…no?”
Yes Angelo – it is good. Very, very good.
Angelo’s Deli is located at 23400 Arnold Drive. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For information and catering orders, call 707.938.3688.
