Mardi Gras in Galveston is a once a year experience where memories are made. Part of the fun is being certain you get the traditional Mardi Gras beads, enjoy the Mummers and Floats in the Parades and eating King Cake. That being the case you won’t want to skip a trip to Maceo Spice and Import Company to enjoy a historic, New Orleans’s created treat: Muffalettas!
If that term sounds unfamiliar to you – don’t fret! It describes a scrumptious sandwich with All-American roots. Maceo’s in Galveston makes them because the family itself is part of the tradition. They provide this story:
“..An Italian immigrant Tony Lovi created the Original Muffaletta in the French Quarter of New Orleans Louisiana in 1901. The Original Muffaletta is made of the finest Italian salami, ham, provolone cheese, in freshly baked round Italian bread, and with a specially blended olive dressing (we can’t tell how it’s made, it’s a family secret!).
…..At the age of eight Rosario Maceo, would help his Uncle Tony make and sell Muffalettas in the French Quarter. Every morning Rosario would blend the olive dressing and help Uncle Tony make the Muffalettas.
…..With the wooden wagon loaded with fresh Muffalettas Uncle Tony and Rosario would make their way down the narrow streets of the French Quarter. Rosario would run in front of the wooden wagon and yell at the top of his lungs Muffalettas! Muffalettas! Get your fresh Muffalettas……..”
Once in Galveston in the early 1900’s, the Maceo’s owned and operated a fleet of shrimp boats and later began importing food. “We grew up eating fish and shrimp everyday” said Ronnie. “There was so much of it that I always wanted to go my friend’s house and have meatloaf for dinner. But I didn’t notice that actually all of them wanted to come our house for dinner because of the seafood ”.
Maceo’s Spice and Import is actually one of the best kept “foodie” secrets in Galveston. Although you can drop in everyday and grab a fresh sandwich for lunch, it is actually one of the most popular suppliers of fresh spices, herbs, coffee, teas and specialty foods for Restaurant on the Gulf Coast. In the late 1980′s, Rosario Macao decided to allow the rest of us in on his little secret and began to open the doors for retail shoppers who wanted to use the freshest spice blends, pasta and oils in our personal culinary masterpieces.
“We have a large selection of imported cheeses – anything you can think of, “said owner Ronnie Maceo. “We have some of the best imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil and even some of these new whole wheat pastas.”
If you’ve ever wanted to turn a plain piece of chicken or fish into something extraordinary you’ve got to come in and grab a bag of their specialty Bread Crumbs. Their “Tomato Gravy” is so renown that ex-Islanders literally have friends ship them some on a regular basis. Their range of imported foods is so vast that you feel as if you’ve literally become a global traveler as you step between the shelves. Imported anchovies, exotic escargot, gourmet pastas, and coffees and teas that will impress your friends.
All of this works so well, because the Maceo Family Tradition resides in owner Ronnie who knows each and every product he sells. For example, he picks up a bag of what looks like spaghetti and explains:”This is some of the best pasta in the world. It’s the perfect width, somewhere between regular spaghetti and angel hair. It really holds on to the sauce,” he said. WHO KNEW????
Locals may not know that for the price of fast food, you can zip by Maceo’s for “lunch of the day” which might include Muffalatta’s, a Rich Meatball Sandwhich, a highly piled Ruben and more.
If you’re a tourist and here for Mardi Gras, you owe it to yourself to order this particular pieice of Mardi Gras history and tradition. Maceo’s has the Muffalatta’s that can make your party rock!
Maceo Spice and Imports is located at 2706 Market Street, (27th and Market), Galveston, Texas 77550, www.maceospice.com, Phone: 409-763-3331, Fax: 409-763-0206.
They’re open from 11 am – 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 am to 4 p.m.
Photos courtesy of Ronnie Maceo. Marsha Wilson Rappaport is a local author and free-lance writer who is ready for spring weather and spring Gulf Coast fishing!
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[...] Enjoy Muffaletta Magic at Maceo’s This Mardi Gras Galveston.com & Company (press release) (blog) Mardi Gras in Galveston is a once a year experience where memories are made. Part of the fun is being certain you get the traditional Mardi Gras beads, enjoy the Mummers and Floats in the Parades and eating King Cake. That being the case you won’t want … [...]