Merante's Bloomfield ~ Family
The Merante name is popular with Italian Grocery Stores in Pittsburgh. In 1949, Italo Merante arrived
in Pittsburgh from a small village in Southern Italy. He owned several Grocery Stores with his brothers in Italian
neighborhoods in the city. Italo raised his seven children with his wife Philomena in Mt. Lebanon.
In Bloomfield, Italo's daughters Maria Merante Palmieri and Gina Merante, share their love of food and
all things Italian in their respective businesses, Merante’s Bloomfield, and Linea Verde Green Market.
Maria has been in her Liberty Avenue Bloomfield storefront since 1983 and her business has been a regular
stop on Pittsburgh Bloomfield Food Tour’s since its’s inception. Warm aromas welcome customers while they
wander through the displays of colorful Italian and other Nationality Souvenirs, Tee Shirts, Imported Olive Oils,
Cooking Tools, and Inspirational Gifts. They also create Beautiful Food Gift Baskets.
Maria, Emily, Bruce, and Brianna prep and create daily meals to go. The Menu changes Daily Tuesday thru
Saturday and Emily posts it outside on a Sandwich Board and on Facebook. Patrons also look forward to her occasional Friday Family Dinners for Pickup and Holiday Special Meal Menus. Maria’s husband Mario occasionally stops by the shop
and enjoys the customers passing thru, so say Hi if you see him sitting there!
Maria and her staff will also help you Create the Perfect Catering Menu for your Special Event. All of this plus weekly baking cookies, pizzelles and other sweet treats. Maria’s Soup Cooler is full of Fresh Grab-n-Go Meals weekly.
Stocked with Soups, Pasta e Fagioli, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and much more.
Operating a business around Italian Food was not in Maria's long-range plans when she studied Spanish and History, concentrating in immigration at Duquesne University. After graduation she was offered a position with the FBI, but strong
family roots kept her in Pittsburgh and pursued a career in the Travel Industry.
Maria's first tour brought her to New York’s Little Italy. There she met Ernie Rosso who operated an Italian Gift store
and liked his business concept so much, and as they say, “the rest is history.” Customers shop in her store, and
also look forward to Maria's personal Emails for upcoming Sit-Down Dinners in her shop.
You leave with the feeling that you're part Italian!
Maria gets her fresh ingredients needed for her Daily Lunch/Dinners and Catering from her sister Gina,
the youngest of seven Merante siblings with over 40 years of experience dealing with produce in the Pittsburgh area.
Gina began with her dad in 1975 and then went on to open the produce department for Pennsylvania Macaroni
aka Penn Mac in the Strip District and continued in food the food industry for the years that followed.
A space was available in the next block from Merante’s Bloomfield that is now Linnea Verde Green Market.
Owned and managed respectively by Maria and Gina, the store carries staples from Apples to Zucchinis,
but also offers more rarified produce when available. Shoppers have filled their baskets with
arugula, shitake mushrooms, and fresh figs.
Initially, the store was to stock the items Maria needed and couldn’t buy in Bloomfield.
Since the opening in June of 2015 with a expanded inventory even beyond Maria's needs, the store has
become a community hub largely due to Gina's vivacious presence.
Local businesses purchase produce from Gina as well. Bloomfield’s green grocer carries a beautiful selection
of fruits and vegetables purchased fresh each morning in the Strip District, as well as from local farmers.
The Merante Sisters bring much more to the Liberty Avenue Bloomfield than commerce.
Through their congeniality and food that they offer, they allow patrons to connect with Italian culture and are
a uniting presence within the Bloomfield Community
*Some Excerpts are from The Post-Gazette, Tribune Review and ‘Burgh Bits & Bites
The Merante name is popular with Italian Grocery Stores in Pittsburgh. In 1949, Italo Merante arrived
in Pittsburgh from a small village in Southern Italy. He owned several Grocery Stores with his brothers in Italian
neighborhoods in the city. Italo raised his seven children with his wife Philomena in Mt. Lebanon.
In Bloomfield, Italo's daughters Maria Merante Palmieri and Gina Merante, share their love of food and
all things Italian in their respective businesses, Merante’s Bloomfield, and Linea Verde Green Market.
Maria has been in her Liberty Avenue Bloomfield storefront since 1983 and her business has been a regular
stop on Pittsburgh Bloomfield Food Tour’s since its’s inception. Warm aromas welcome customers while they
wander through the displays of colorful Italian and other Nationality Souvenirs, Tee Shirts, Imported Olive Oils,
Cooking Tools, and Inspirational Gifts. They also create Beautiful Food Gift Baskets.
Maria, Emily, Bruce, and Brianna prep and create daily meals to go. The Menu changes Daily Tuesday thru
Saturday and Emily posts it outside on a Sandwich Board and on Facebook. Patrons also look forward to her occasional Friday Family Dinners for Pickup and Holiday Special Meal Menus. Maria’s husband Mario occasionally stops by the shop
and enjoys the customers passing thru, so say Hi if you see him sitting there!
Maria and her staff will also help you Create the Perfect Catering Menu for your Special Event. All of this plus weekly baking cookies, pizzelles and other sweet treats. Maria’s Soup Cooler is full of Fresh Grab-n-Go Meals weekly.
Stocked with Soups, Pasta e Fagioli, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and much more.
Operating a business around Italian Food was not in Maria's long-range plans when she studied Spanish and History, concentrating in immigration at Duquesne University. After graduation she was offered a position with the FBI, but strong
family roots kept her in Pittsburgh and pursued a career in the Travel Industry.
Maria's first tour brought her to New York’s Little Italy. There she met Ernie Rosso who operated an Italian Gift store
and liked his business concept so much, and as they say, “the rest is history.” Customers shop in her store, and
also look forward to Maria's personal Emails for upcoming Sit-Down Dinners in her shop.
You leave with the feeling that you're part Italian!
Maria gets her fresh ingredients needed for her Daily Lunch/Dinners and Catering from her sister Gina,
the youngest of seven Merante siblings with over 40 years of experience dealing with produce in the Pittsburgh area.
Gina began with her dad in 1975 and then went on to open the produce department for Pennsylvania Macaroni
aka Penn Mac in the Strip District and continued in food the food industry for the years that followed.
A space was available in the next block from Merante’s Bloomfield that is now Linnea Verde Green Market.
Owned and managed respectively by Maria and Gina, the store carries staples from Apples to Zucchinis,
but also offers more rarified produce when available. Shoppers have filled their baskets with
arugula, shitake mushrooms, and fresh figs.
Initially, the store was to stock the items Maria needed and couldn’t buy in Bloomfield.
Since the opening in June of 2015 with a expanded inventory even beyond Maria's needs, the store has
become a community hub largely due to Gina's vivacious presence.
Local businesses purchase produce from Gina as well. Bloomfield’s green grocer carries a beautiful selection
of fruits and vegetables purchased fresh each morning in the Strip District, as well as from local farmers.
The Merante Sisters bring much more to the Liberty Avenue Bloomfield than commerce.
Through their congeniality and food that they offer, they allow patrons to connect with Italian culture and are
a uniting presence within the Bloomfield Community
*Some Excerpts are from The Post-Gazette, Tribune Review and ‘Burgh Bits & Bites
