By: Olivia Armstrong, Follow South Jersey Intern
You have one day in Gloucester County and need three meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — but don’t know where to go? Well, I set up a whole day for you with great meals supporting small family owned businesses/restaurants with all with positive reviews and mindsets.
Start off your morning by heading into downtown Pitman to Endgrain Coffee Rosters for a pastry and a coffee. Endgrain’s hours are 8-3 Monday-Saturday and Sunday 9-3. This coffee place in specific has a great atmosphere, welcoming workers, and great coffee!
Endgrain Coffee opened in April 2015, the owner Joe Fultano who previously worked for AirBnb strictly from home got flown out to San Francisco three or four times a year, and every time he was there he would try every local coffee shop he could and was amazed by how good they all were. Once he trip was over and he was back in New Jersey he would come home to nothing. “Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts were the only options and there was a big void for great coffee in this area.”
Fultano shortly left AirBnb on good terms and had the idea to open a coffee shop in the small town Pitman New Jersey because there were none there at the time. “I found a small space, checked it out, signed the lease that day and started building it out asap, and then we opened April, 2015.”
Fultano was determined to make Endgrain succeed, and although it did, struggles did arise. But surprisingly Covid was not one of them, it actually helped them. “We did have to close for about 90 days for counter service but open two days a week for people to pick up bags and cold brew,” Fultano said. “Unfortunately I had to lay off all the staff and it was just me working but gradually we started opening during morning hours, it seemed like people that were uncomfortable with dinner or drinks would rather grab a cup of coffee and sit outside.”
Fultano is a big biker; he does 30 mile bike rides and halfway through they would stop at this coffee shop in Mullica Hill, which was always packed. At this point Endgrain had only been open for a year and Fultano looked at the line flowing out the door and back at his buddy and said “I want this to happen to Endgrain.” Flash forward years later, Endgrain has constant lines out the door. “It just takes time, no matter what you do.” Fultano told me.
Endgrain roasts everything on sight and puts care and love into their coffee and their work, go check them out for your first stop!
For lunch, time to head over to Glassboro for Peter & Sons. This sandwich shop opened in April 2018, and they are more than just a regular sandwich shop. Peter & Sons is known for their vodka chicken cutlet with fried mozzarella squares on garlic bread… intense and will fill you up.
Peter & Sons is family owned but after two years being opened they expanded to hire regular employees outside of the family. Tina Beres the owner and her husband Peter put their all into this business and having a sandwich shop was always a dream of his, he worked at genos as a kid and it was his first job. “We put it off because he was scared, and then we got to our 50’s and realized we should take a chance,” she said.
Peter & Sons is different from other sandwich shops for many reasons, they always have fresh ingredients, cut their own chicken, slice their own steak, make their own fried mozzarella but most importantly they look at their business like it’s their baby, they care and put their heart and soul into it.
As everyone else, they have their struggles as well. “Money was our biggest struggle at first, but then when we were open for a year, my husband got sick, I quit my job for this business, he was in the hospital for months, on disability leave, and not getting any income. Him not being here and not making money took a toll for sure but we made it work.” Beres said.
Within the time they opened, they have been on the news quite a few times, ABC Localish, Bob Kelly Fox News, South Jersey Magazine twice and had a Tiktok influencer review them. Although that was a big success it led to a rush they weren’t ready for.
“Alyssa in adventure land, a famous TikToker, posted the vodka cutlet with mozzarella squares on garlic bread, cheesesteak egg rolls, and garlic parm fries on a Thursday afternoon,” Beres said. “The next day we sold a week’s worth of mozzarella squares in six hours. There was a 45 minute wait to just place the order, it was crazy and we couldn’t keep up, we ran out of product, but like always, we managed.”
Peter & Sons has weekly specials along with a long menu with many things to choose from, lunch is now covered.
Lastly, drive over to Sewell to Polizzi Brick Oven Pizza for some dinner. Damien Polizzi opened this pizza place in August 2021. “I had bought three other existing pizzerias and made minimal changes,” Plizzi said. “I wanted to do my concept from the start with a new place.” And that is exactly what he did.
Polizzi Brick Oven pizza has a large menu with appetizers, salads, pizza, stromboli, sandwiches, and small entrees, choices for everyone. Their menu doesn’t change seasonally like other places, more of what’s trending up and down. They are open 4-8 Tuesday through Thursday and 11-9 Friday and Saturday.
Polizzi said his biggest success happens daily. “Seeing the joy in people’s faces when they eat our product and all of the kind comments after,” he said. “But more importantly enjoying this business with my entire family, my wife and three kids all work here alongside me.” This pizza place has a brick oven and a large passion for the food they make, like Peter & Sons they put their heart and soul into it.
There are many surrounding pizza places in this competitive town and area but hearing and seeing all of the love they receive brings them tremendous joy and pride that they have grown and have become so popular in such a short period of time.
Shortly after speaking with Polizzi, he emailed me a Facebook link to a post of a picture of their pizza with the caption, “It’s quite possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had” and Polizzi said, “Came home to this. This is exactly why we do it.”
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