Exclusive | Americas oldest cheese shop, Alleva, reopens in Chelsea Market after 130 years in Little Italy

The big cheese is back in town.America’s oldest cheese shop, the famed Little Italy staple Alleva that dates back to 1892, is reopening Sunday in Chelsea Market.Alleva, which was on the corner of Mulberry and Grand Streets for 130 years, closed in March 2023 after its owner, Karen King, fell behind in rent payment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.King’s loyal customers — who have been patiently waiting for their lasagna, sausage and peppers and cannoli for the three and a half years since they closed — could never fuggedabout the beloved store.“People came yesterday when I was putting this sign up and they were from the neighborhood and they were screaming and saying how much they missed Alleva.

I told them, ‘We’re opening Sunday,’ and they said, ‘Will you give us a break?'” King recalled, laughing.“And an Italian man came two days ago, he said that when he was five years old, he used to go to the store, and he was kissing my hand and he goes, ‘You are so brave.’ I said, ‘I’m not brave.We belong here.'”Although Alleva’s iconic 15-foot street sign is still in storage, King was able to hang the original signs from the store, which are over a century old.“And we kept the phone number,” she added.King left her original location after coming to an agreement with her landlord, Jerome G.

Stabile III Realty, who allowed her to break her lease and not pay the back rent.She said saying ciao to Little Italy, where she made 500 meatballs for the Feast of San Gennaro, happened for the best — because her new home in the Meatpacking District is a definite culinary upgrade.“This is like the feast every day here in Chelsea Market,” she told The Post of the food hall, which welcomes over 6 million visitors a year.“Little Italy was mostly Italian, this is international.Chelsea Market is a place where people come from all over the world and you experience all the different heritages and foods that they bring.

I feel like I’ve been raised ...