Photo via Modern Media Group
The co-owners of Cousin Vinny’s, chef Vincent Andriotti (left) and Russell Leone (right).
A year after signing its lease, a popular Italian-American deli with a cult-like following is ready to close its operations and open in Tampa’s NoHo neighborhood.
Cousin Vinny’s, a sandwich and chicken schnitzel specialist, is preparing for its unofficial opening and is located at 1331 W Cass St., right next to Santoro’s Pizzeria.
Cousin Vinny’s – which operated a very popular to-go shop last year – specializes in “New York-inspired sandwiches” loaded with everything from the popular Italian-American chicken cutlet to classic cold cuts and fresh mozzarella.
Chef and partner Vincent “Vinny” Andriotti and managing partner and co-owner Russell Leone met their other business partners Jake Schmidt and AJ DeSimone when they all attended the nearby University of Tampa over a decade ago.
They opened Cousin Vinny’s in a shared commercial kitchen on Nebraska Avenue in the spring of 2023. It wasn’t a typical brick-and-mortar location, as customers could only order their sandwiches online and come by on Saturday or Sunday to pick them up.
“We saw people traveling from all over the Tampa Bay area and beyond to try these sandwiches on the weekend,” Andriotti tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Our customers would plan their weeks to get a sandwich on Saturday or Sunday – it was absolutely crazy.”
After several successful months with a two-day service schedule, the ownership team decided a proper retail space and standalone storefront was in order and signed a lease on the former Cass Street Deli space through the summer of 2023.
Since Cass Street Deli was only open for a short time between 2019 and 2022, there was no need to remodel the kitchen or small ordering area. While Cousin Vinny’s team hoped to have their shop open by the end of 2023, the zoning application and permits from the City of Tampa slowed progress.
While that year-long wait certainly wasn’t part of their opening schedule, both Leone and Andriotti say they used the time to develop their respective skills.
“It’s a godsend because it’s allowed us to focus on literally everything from operations and production to food quality and sourcing the highest quality products we can,” Leone explains. “We can now source ingredients from different parts of Italy and build relationships with our suppliers.”
Andriotti has used the time to hone his bread-making skills and perfect recipes for both the opening of Cousin Vinny’s and future specialties. He’s perfected both his meatball and focaccia recipes – two new options people can expect when Cousin Vinny’s debuts later this year.
While neither owner can provide an exact opening date—especially since previous delays have caused even greater delays than expected—they tell CL that Cousin Vinny’s will definitely be open by year’s end.
Noho’s soon-to-open deli and sandwich hotspot will offer all the heavyweights from its ghost kitchen menu—like a choice of chicken schnitzel or sandwiches with shredded beef, plenty of vodka sauce, roasted red peppers, house-made “red sauce,” fresh mozzarella, pesto aioli, or bruschetta.
Cousinvinnyssandwichco/Facebook
“That Louie” by Cousin Vinny with chicken schnitzel, roasted red peppers, pesto aioli and mozzarella.
According to Andriotti, people can look forward to the following sandwiches at the soft opening: the topped “Mambo Italiano” with a fried eggplant cutlet, salami, prosciutto, capicola, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, pesto, lettuce and tomatoes, and the simple “Parmesan Don” with a chicken cutlet, mozzarella, red sauce and parmesan cheese.
Grab-and-go sides, a few desserts, cold sandwiches on Andriotti’s focaccia bread, and a handful of health-conscious non-sandwich dishes will also appear on Cousin Vinny’s menu at some point.
After graduating from UT, Andriotti completed an online degree in culinary arts before opening his own private chef business while also working at local fine-dining restaurants.
Once hidden from customers in a ghost kitchen, the lively Andriotti now looks forward to interacting with diners in the restaurant’s open kitchen. He compares cooking and serving customers to a performance, or in some ways, entertainment.
“Now you’ll see the production, the assembly and everything else. This will allow people to walk in and understand that Cousin Vinny’s is a friendly, neighborly place,” says Andriotti enthusiastically. “We want it to be a place where you know you’re appreciated and welcomed by the entire staff. We don’t have customers or guests – I like to say we have cousins.”
“We are not here to travel to New York or Florida.”
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“We don’t just want to be part of the Tampa restaurant community for a few years – we want to be here for a very long time,” he continues.
With the soon-to-open Cousin Vinny’s only offering a handful of seating inside, business will consist primarily of takeout orders. During the soft opening phase, it will most likely be open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with plans to extend that.
Since their previous customers have been waiting patiently (or impatiently) for Cousin Vinny’s to open, Leone says their main goal during the opening is to not run out of food. Once everything is up and running, they also plan to offer catering services.
“We definitely want to help create that Little Italy atmosphere here in Tampa – like where we grew up, there was a great deli on every corner,” Leone says.
“But we’re not here to play New York or Florida either – we just want to be part of this growing community and offer the best version of ourselves, which is great food and hospitality,” Andriotti continues.
Visit @cousinvinnyssandwichco on Instagram for the latest news on Cousin Vinny’s opening in 2024. Although the owners couldn’t give an exact opening week, Leone says it’s “very, very, very soon.”
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