Carmella’s Market Ownership to Switch Hands

Clark and Carmella Moulaison, who took over the famed Gloria’s Food Market in 2012, renamed it Camrella’s Market and kept the same high quality food the local sub and cheese shop became known for, announced this week they are handing over ownership.

Luckily, Carmella’s Market on the corner of Cottage and Everett Streets will remain in the family and be run by Clark’s brother, Nick Moulaison, starting April 1.

Clark and Carmella Mousliason cut the ribbon on Carmella’s Market in 2012 as the late Jerry Del Prete (center) looked on. Del Prete, who ran the Italian food shop for over 30 years as Gloria’s Food Market, sold the business to the Moulaisons ten years ago. Clark and Carmella announced this week that family member, Nick Mousliason (back row, center) will take over Carmella’s in April.

“We at Carmella’s Market would like to extend our sincere appreciation to our family, friends and customers who have supported us in our labor of love for the past 10 years,” said Clark and Carmella in a statement. “Breathing new life into the old Gloria foods was challenging and rewarding. We are happy to announce that Nick Moulaison will be the new owner starting April 1st. He will bring you the same top quality products and service you have been accustomed to.”

The store was founded by the Papas family out of South Boston. While the family were Greek they opened a chain of Italian food specialty stores throughout Boston in the 1920s.

The Papas family eventually sold their Gloria’s Food Market store in Eastie to Al Russo. 

Jerry Del Prete was born next door to the store and spent most of his life within a two-block radius of Gloria’s and began working at the store in 1961 as an order boy.

Del Prete, who became known as Eastie’s undisputed ‘King of Cold Cuts’ got his hands on Gloria’s in 1978, purchasing the store from Russo.

For over three decades Del Prete ran the unassuming corner store that became arguably one of the best Italian sub and grocery shops in town.  Del Prete was known throughout the neighborhood as the best place to buy Italian specialties and his reputation as the purveyor of the best cold cuts and hard-to-find imported cheeses stretched beyond the borders of Eastie and Massachusetts.

It was at Gloria’s that Eastie residents would get their weekly fix of salami, mortadella and top shelf imported fresh cheeses.

The store itself was like walking back in time and little changed inside since the 1920s with wide wood plank flooring, tin ceilings and shelves lined with canned tomatoes, pastas, homemade raviolis, olive oils and a wide array of peppers.

In 2012 Del Prete sold the store to former Main Streets Director Clark Moulaison. Moulaison changed the name to Carmella’s Market in honor of his wife but kept the spirit and purpose of Gloria’s alive.

Del Prete stayed on to help Mousliason for another year before officially retiring in 2013.

Sadly Del Prete passed away three years later at the age of 69 but his spirit, attention to detail and top quality food lived on at Carmella’s Market.

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