The Story
Pennsylvania Macaroni Company was founded in 1902 in Pittsburgh's Strip District, a neighborhood that was historically the heart of Italian immigration and community in Pittsburgh. For 120 years, the Sunseri family has operated this beloved Italian grocery, becoming a cultural touchstone for Pittsburgh's Italian community and well beyond.
The business specializes in imported Italian cheeses, cured meats, fresh and dried pasta, quality olive oils, and everything needed to create authentic Italian meals. Pennsylvania Macaroni is not just a store—it's a gathering place where Italian heritage, culinary tradition, and community identity converge. The narrow aisles are packed with imported goods that signal the owner's commitment to quality over volume.
Four generations of the Sunseri family have stewarded this business through wars, recessions, and the total transformation of the neighborhood. The fact that Pennsylvania Macaroni remains in the same family, in the same neighborhood, selling essentially the same products with the same commitment to quality, speaks to something rare in American retail: continuity, family legacy, and a relationship with customers that spans decades.
What Makes It Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is a city of immigrant neighborhoods, ethnic communities, and family businesses that have outlasted empires of corporate consolidation. Pennsylvania Macaroni Company represents all three: a business born of immigration, rooted in community, and sustained by family commitment across generations.
The Strip District itself has transformed completely—from a neighborhood of wholesale markets to a mixed-use destination—but Pennsylvania Macaroni remains, a bridge between Pittsburgh's past and present. That permanence is distinctly Pittsburgh.