From Uncle Tommy’s Counter to Wise Guys: A 50-Year Journey Through New York Pizza
The smell of cured meats hanging from the ceiling. The sound of the slicer working through fresh mozzarella. The constant rhythm of customers calling out orders while bread bakes in the back. For a young Mike in the 1970s, working in his Uncle Tommy's New York deli wasn't just a job—it was the beginning of a dream that would span five decades and eventually land in Merritt Island, Florida.
It all started when Mike was a young boy working in his family's deli. Owning his own shop was something he always wanted. But back then, standing behind Uncle Tommy's counter, that dream probably felt as far away as Florida itself. Still, every sandwich made, every customer served, every lesson learned was laying the foundation for what would become a lifelong journey through the world of authentic New York Italian cuisine.
The Foundation: Learning from Uncle Tommy
Mike's first job was working for his Uncle Tommy and Aunt Angela in the 1970s, and if you know anything about family-run New York delis from that era, you know it wasn't about convenience or shortcuts. Uncle Tommy wasn't just teaching his nephew how to slice salami or build a hero—he was passing down a philosophy that would become Mike's north star for the next fifty years.
Quality wasn't negotiable. Consistency wasn't optional. There was a right way to do things, and then there was every other way. Uncle Tommy made sure Mike understood that the product you put in front of a customer carries your name, your family's name, your reputation. That lesson stuck.
The bond between uncle and nephew ran deep. Uncle Tommy appears in multiple family photos throughout the years, a constant presence as Mike built his own path. This wasn't just business training—it was about family, about legacy, about maintaining standards even when nobody else was watching. Those lessons from behind Uncle Tommy's counter would guide every decision Mike made for the next half-century.
First Step: Arthur Avenue Imports
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By 1990, Mike was ready. After learning the craft throughout the 1970s and 80s, he opened Arthur Avenue Imports Italian Deli in Fort Lauderdale—his first solo venture. Everything Uncle Tommy taught him, everything he'd learned through years of dedication, now had to work in the real world. No safety net. No backup plan. Just Mike, his skills, and his dream.
The name itself tells you everything about Mike's commitment to authenticity. Arthur Avenue isn't just another street in New York—it's the REAL Little Italy in the Bronx, not the tourist trap of Mulberry Street. Choosing that name was Mike's way of saying "this is the genuine article." This wasn't going to be some watered-down version of Italian-American cuisine. This was the real deal, straight from someone who grew up in the streets of New York.
And the family rallied. In a photo from those early days, you can see them all: Brother Matty, Brother Ralphy, Uncle Tommy, Mike, and Richy—his friend who would work alongside him for over 40 years. Building Arthur Avenue Imports wasn't a solo mission. It was a family affair, everyone pitching in, everyone believing in the vision.
But make no mistake—it was grinding work. Mike had started a family young, and providing for them meant 24/7 dedication, no days off. There's no glory in the daily grind of running an Italian deli. There's just the work: opening early, staying late, making sure every customer gets quality, making sure every sandwich is perfect, making sure the doors stay open tomorrow. That was the reality, and Mike embraced it completely.
The Goodfellas Era
By 1999, Mike had nearly 30 years of experience under his belt. He opened Goodfellas Deli in Rockledge, and the name reflected something deeper than just a business venture. Mike grew up in the streets of New York and fell in love with the mob persona of The Godfather and Goodfellas movies. It wasn't about crime—it was about culture, about a time and place, about the code of respect and authenticity that those films captured.
The Goodfellas era was about refinement. Mike had been perfecting his craft for three decades. He knew what worked, what didn't, and most importantly, he knew what he refused to compromise on. His philosophy had crystallized: Product Quality. Presentation of the food. Cleanliness. These weren't just ideals—they were the three non-negotiables that guided every single decision.
And while the name Goodfellas evoked images of wiseguys and made men, the reality was still the same relentless work ethic. Mike was still providing for his family 24/7, still showing up every single day, still maintaining those standards that Uncle Tommy had instilled decades earlier. The work wasn't glamorous, but Mike loved it. This was his calling, and by now, it was running through his veins.
Evolution Through Brevard County
After Goodfellas, Mike opened and moved to multiple locations throughout Brevard County, Florida. Each location taught him something new. Each spot helped him refine his craft, adjust his menu, hone his approach. But through every move, through every new challenge, those core values never wavered.
Some business owners might have been tempted to cut corners after thirty-plus years. Maybe relax the standards a bit. Maybe let things slide when times got tough. Not Mike. If anything, decades of experience made him more certain that his way was the right way. "35 plus years in the business I know how to make this work," he'd tell anyone who questioned his methods. And he'd follow it up with the clearest possible message: "this is my way or the highway."
That confidence doesn't come from arrogance—it comes from fifty years of doing it right. From Uncle Tommy's deli in the 1970s to multiple locations across Brevard County, Mike had seen what happens when you maintain standards and what happens when you don't. He knew which path led to success.
The Wise Guys Chapter
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Today, Mike's journey has brought him to 117 East Merritt Avenue in Merritt Island, Florida—home of Wise Guys Pizzeria. The name evolved from Goodfellas, but the spirit remains the same. That authentic New York attitude, that refusal to compromise, that dedication to doing things the right way.
When you call 321.305.4055 or walk through the doors of Wise Guys, you're not just visiting another pizza shop in Merritt Island. You're stepping into the culmination of a fifty-year journey. Every pie that comes out of that oven carries the weight of Uncle Tommy's lessons from the 1970s. Every perfectly placed topping reflects the standards Mike set at Arthur Avenue Imports in 1990. Every clean table and pristine storefront honors the philosophy he's built his entire career on.
The foundation Mike built over five decades means customers get the benefit of 35-plus years of refinement with every order. That thin crust with just enough crunch and just enough chew? That's not from a recipe book—that's from decades of trial and error, of learning what works. That perfect balance of sauce and cheese? That comes from making thousands upon thousands of pies until you know exactly what authentic New York pizza should taste like.
Looking Forward: The Next Generation
But here's the beautiful thing about this story—it's not ending. Mike's mission, his long-term vision, is for his daughter Stephanie to take over and run the business. The dream that started in Uncle Tommy's deli in the 1970s will live on through the next generation.
Stephanie isn't just inheriting a restaurant. She's inheriting a legacy. She's learning the same lessons Mike learned from Uncle Tommy five decades ago: quality matters, consistency matters, how you present your food matters, cleanliness matters. She's learning that "my way or the highway" isn't about being difficult—it's about maintaining standards that took fifty years to perfect.
This is how authentic traditions survive. Not through corporations or franchises, but through families passing down their craft, their values, their uncompromising dedication to doing things right. When Stephanie eventually takes the reins at Wise Guys, she'll carry forward everything Uncle Tommy taught Mike, everything Mike learned through decades of grinding work, and everything that makes Wise Guys Pizzeria special.
The Legacy Lives in Every Slice
When you eat at Wise Guys in Merritt Island, you're not just getting New York pizza in Florida—you're getting 50 years of family history on a plate. You're tasting the lessons Uncle Tommy taught in the 1970s. You're experiencing the dedication Mike showed at Arthur Avenue Imports in 1990. You're benefiting from the refinement that came through Goodfellas and multiple locations across Brevard County.
From that first job with Uncle Tommy to training his daughter Stephanie for succession, this has never been about taking shortcuts or following trends. It's been about authenticity, about maintaining standards, about understanding that when you serve someone food, you're putting your name and your family's reputation on the line.
That's what makes Wise Guys Pizzeria different. It's not just pizza—it's a fifty-year commitment to doing things the right way, the New York way, the only way Mike knows how.
And when Mike says "35 plus years in the business I know how to make this work," he's not just talking about pizza. He's talking about a lifetime of dedication that started behind Uncle Tommy's counter and continues every single day at 117 East Merritt Avenue in Merritt Island, Florida.
That's the Wise Guys difference. That's what fifty years of family tradition tastes like.
Wise Guys Pizzeria | 117 East Merritt Avenue, Merritt Island, FL 32953 | 321.305.4055