At Frigo’s in Springfield and The Dirty Italian in Southie, it’s all in the family
Italian sandwiches are the common denominator for one family’s Italian traditions and generational cooking
FAMILY’S ITALIAN ROOTS RUN VERY DEEP AROUND HERE. ITALIAN SANDWICHES AREN’T JUST POPULAR, THEY’RE PERSONAL. HELLO AT FRIGO FOODS IN SPRINGFIELD, MAKING GREAT FOOD RUNS IN THE FAMILY. SO WE’RE GOING TO JUST CUT THAT UP. WE’RE GETTING READY FOR LUNCH NOW. THIS FAMILY RUN INSTITUTION IS BUILT ON GENERATIONS OF TRADITION, BUT THE STORY STARTS WELL BEYOND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. MY GRANDFATHER WAS A CHEESE MAKER FROM THE NORTHERN PART OF ITALY, A SMALL TOWN CALLED ASIAGO, WAY UP IN THE ALPS. IN FACT, THAT’S THE RECIPE THAT HE BRING BACK TO THE UNITED STATES IS THE ASIAGO RECIPE. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT, BUT MY GRANDFATHER AND HIS BROTHERS WERE THE CREATOR OF ASIAGO CHEESE WAY BACK IN THE 30S, LONG BEFORE THEIR ITALIAN SANDWICHES BECAME LEGENDARY. THE FRIGO FAMILY WAS KNOWN FOR CHEESE, HANDCRAFTED, CAREFULLY AGED, NOT IN MASSACHUSETTS, BUT IN WISCONSIN. OF COURSE, WISCONSIN WERE ALL THE MILK IS AND THEY MASS PRODUCED ASIAGO. IT GOT TO BE A PRETTY BIG THING. AND MY GRANDFATHER SAW A MARKET HERE ON THE EAST COAST TO SELL HIS PRODUCTS IN 1950, MY GRANDFATHER BROKE AWAY FROM THE FAMILY AND HE MOVED HERE IN SPRINGFIELD. TODAY, JOE FRIGO CARRIES HIS FAMILY’S LEGACY FORWARD. SO HERE WE ARE 75 YEARS LATER. I’M THIRD GENERATION AND RIGHT BY HIS SIDE IS HIS SON NICK, WORKING THE COUNTER AS HE LEARNS THE RHYTHM OF THE BUSINESS. HE’S GOT THE CHEESE NICE AND MELTED. IT’S KIND OF FUNNY BECAUSE YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH MY DAD, WE DIDN’T REALLY MAKE SANDWICHES. WE WOULD SAMPLE OUT DIFFERENT ITEMS FOR PEOPLE TO TASTE, AND THE BREAD WOULD COME IN HOT AND THE CUSTOMER WOULD SAY, HEY, CAN YOU MAKE ME A SANDWICH WITH THAT? THOSE OCCASIONAL REQUESTS TURNED INTO SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER. OUR CUSTOMERS USED TO LINE UP OUT THE DOOR FOR COLD CUTS. NOW THOSE SAME CUSTOMERS ARE COMING IN AND THEY JUST WANT IT DONE. THEY WANT TO GO QUICK. THEY WANT A NICE SANDWICH. I THINK IT’S JUST THE CONVENIENCE OF IT ALL. THE MENU RUNS THE GAMUT FROM HOT, BOLD FAVORITES LIKE THE KICKIN CHICKEN PACKED WITH FLAVOR FROM FRIGO’S OWN KICK AND BAYOU SAUCE. IT’S A FAN FAVORITE TO COLD CLASSICS THAT HAVE EARNED CULT STATUS. IT’S GOING TO BE OUR MORTADELLA WITH THE PISTACHIOS. AT THE TOP OF THE LIST IS TALIA’S DIRTY ITALIAN, A PERFECTLY STACKED COMBINATION OF ITALIAN MEATS, SHARP FRIGO ASIAGO CHEESE, AND ONE UNMISTAKABLE ATTITUDE. ONE OF MY PARTING GIFTS FROM LEAVING FRIGO’S WAS ACTUALLY TO NAME A SANDWICH AFTER ME. SO TALIA’S DIRTY ITALIAN WAS BORN. NAMED AFTER JOE’S NIECE, TALIA. THE SANDWICH BECAME AN INSTANT HIT AT FRIGO’S. THAT’S OUR CLASSIC ITALIAN WITH TALIA’S FAVORITE HOT MIX ON THERE. TALIA SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS WORKING BEHIND THE COUNTER HERE. SHE WORKED FOR ME DURING HER HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, AND SHE JUST LOVED IT. AFTER TRYING HER HAND IN THE CORPORATE WORLD AND FEELING UNFULFILLED, TALIA REALIZED BEING BEHIND A DESK WASN’T FOR HER. I’VE ALWAYS WANTED MY OWN STORE. EVER SINCE I WAS 16, WORKING FOR MY UNCLE IN SPRINGFIELD, SHE BEGAN CREATING MEAT AND CHEESE BOARDS FROM HER SOUTH BOSTON APARTMENT, AND HER BUSINESS QUICKLY TOOK OFF. I’VE GOTTEN A LOT OF CLIENTELE FROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEN A SOUTHIE BLOGGER ACTUALLY PICKED IT UP, POSTED IT, AND I HAD 60 CUSTOMERS OVERNIGHT. THE DEMAND CONFIRMED WHAT SHE ALREADY KNEW. THIS WASN’T JUST A HOBBY, IT WAS HER FUTURE. SO I ACTUALLY STARTED THE BUSINESS PLAN WHEN I WAS 22 YEARS OLD. I’M NOW 36, SO I ENDED UP USING THAT SAME BUSINESS PLAN TO OPEN UP THE STORE. THE BEST. AND FROM THAT, THE DIRTY ITALIAN IN SOUTH BOSTON WAS BORN. WHEN PEOPLE COME IN, THEY’RE ALWAYS LIKE, WHO’S THE DIRTY ITALIAN LIKE ME HAPPENS TO BE ME. I THINK A LOT OF THEM JUST ASSUME I’M 100% ITALIAN, BUT I’M PART IRISH. AND THE RUNNING JOKE IS THAT’S WHAT MAKES ME A DIRTY ITALIAN. HERE, THE SANDWICH MENU REFLECTS BOTH WHERE TALIA COMES FROM AND WHERE SHE IS GOING. BUT NO MATTER WHAT, YOU CAN MAKE IT DIRTY. I HAVE A DIRTY ITALIAN, PLEASE. SURE, ALL OF OUR SANDWICHES HAVE THE OPTION TO MAKE IT DIRTY BY ADDING OUR HOUSE HOT CHERRY PEPPERS. THERE’S FRESH INGREDIENTS. IT HAS A LITTLE KICK TO IT WITH THE PEPPERS ALL AROUND. JUST A GREAT SANDWICH. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S MORE THAN A MENU. IT’S A FAMILY STORY, LAYERED LIKE A SANDWICH FROM ITALY AND WISCONSIN TO SPRINGFIELD AND SOUTH BOSTON. WHAT A GREAT STORY. AND JOE FRAGA SAYS WHEN HIS GRANDFATHER OPENED FRIGO’S IN 1950, HE CHOSE WILLIAM STREET BECAUSE THERE WAS A CATHOLIC CHURCH NEARBY CATHOLIC CHURCH NEARBY, KIND OF A HUB FOR THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY. HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE AND A SAFE PLACE TO OPEN UP. HIS BUSINESS WORKED OUT WELL. AS FOR THE DIRTY ITALIAN IN SOUTH BOSTON, THEY HAVE VERY SPECIAL NAMES FOR THEIR SMALL VERSUS THEIR LARGE SANDWICHES. THE SMALL IS A BADA BING AND THE LARGE IS BAD
At Frigo’s in Springfield and The Dirty Italian in Southie, it’s all in the family
Italian sandwiches are the common denominator for one family’s Italian traditions and generational cooking
At Frigo Foods in Springfield, Mass., Italian sandwiches aren’t just popular, they’re personal.The family-run shop traces its roots to northern Italy, where Joe Frigo’s grandfather was a cheesemaker from the town of Asiago. That recipe made its way to the United States, eventually landing in Springfield in 1950. Seventy-five years later, Joe Frigo carries that legacy forward as a third-generation owner, now working side by side with his son, Nick. “Here we are 75 years later,” Joe said. “I’m third generation.”What began as a cheese business evolved as customers started asking for sandwiches made with Frigo’s cold cuts and fresh bread. Today, the menu ranges from bold hot sandwiches like the Kickin’ Chicken to cold Italian classics built on sharp Frigo Asiago.One of the most popular is Talya’s Dirty Italian, a spicy Italian sandwich that’s named for Joe’s niece, Talya Pessalano. Talya spent her teenage years working behind the counter. After leaving Frigo’s and entering the corporate world, Talya felt unfulfilled. While still working full time, she began selling charcuterie boards from her South Boston apartment. Social media demand surged, confirming what she already knew, food was her future.That momentum led to the opening of The Dirty Italian in South Boston, where Talya now serves sandwiches alongside other offerings, many inspired by her family’s flavors.
At Frigo Foods in Springfield, Mass., Italian sandwiches aren’t just popular, they’re personal.
The family-run shop traces its roots to northern Italy, where Joe Frigo’s grandfather was a cheesemaker from the town of Asiago. That recipe made its way to the United States, eventually landing in Springfield in 1950. Seventy-five years later, Joe Frigo carries that legacy forward as a third-generation owner, now working side by side with his son, Nick. “Here we are 75 years later,” Joe said. “I’m third generation.”
What began as a cheese business evolved as customers started asking for sandwiches made with Frigo’s cold cuts and fresh bread. Today, the menu ranges from bold hot sandwiches like the Kickin’ Chicken to cold Italian classics built on sharp Frigo Asiago.
One of the most popular is Talya’s Dirty Italian, a spicy Italian sandwich that’s named for Joe’s niece, Talya Pessalano. Talya spent her teenage years working behind the counter. After leaving Frigo’s and entering the corporate world, Talya felt unfulfilled. While still working full time, she began selling charcuterie boards from her South Boston apartment. Social media demand surged, confirming what she already knew, food was her future.
That momentum led to the opening of The Dirty Italian in South Boston, where Talya now serves sandwiches alongside other offerings, many inspired by her family’s flavors.