Gioia's Will Celebrate Its 106th Birthday With Hot Salami

But of course

By Jessica Rogen

May 17, 2024 at 12:40 pm

Image: Gioia's hot salami is warm, not spicy. Just the thing for a birthday celebration!

Gioia's hot salami is warm, not spicy. Just the thing for a birthday celebration! Photo by Mindee Zervas

Frankly, St. Louis would be disappointed if beloved Hill sandwich shop Gioia's Deli (Multiple locations including 1934 Macklind Avenue, gioiasdeli.com) celebrated another year of greatness with anything other than its notable hot salami. And naturally, Gioia's doesn't disappoint.

That's a long way of saying that next Thursday, Gioia's is turning an astonishing 106 years old, and to commemorate the occasion, the James Beard Award winner is "rolling back the years and the prices." That means all locations will be offering walk-in customers $6 six-inch hot salami sandwiches (two per customer, so don't get grabby).

The shops will also be gifting the first 106 customers at the original Hill location a pair of Gioia's socks, which is a little more of a curveball. But really, who wouldn't want a pair of Gioia's socks?

Founded in 1918, Gioia's is now run by Alex Donley, whose family has been safeguarding the St. Louis institution since purchasing it from the Gioia family in 1980. Fun fact: Donley's told the RFT in 2022 that his first bite of solid food was that famous hot salami.

The shop began as a corner grocery, expanding to sandwiches when Donley's grandmother and mother took over running the place. It was an indisputably good move for the institution — and St. Louis eaters.

"Gioia's, hot salami, St. Louis — they're all synonymous with each other," Donley said at the time.

For more on Gioia's history, read Olivia Poolos' "St. Louis Standards: Gioia's Strength Is Its Family, Famous Sandwich."

Hot salami is not technically salami but a sausage that is boiled and sliced immediately to order while still warm.

St. Louis Standards: Gioia's Strength Is Its Family, Famous Sandwich: The Hill cornerstone has seen over 100 years in no small part thanks to its famous hot salami

Slideshow

If Your Personality Was a St. Louis Food, Here's What You Would Be

Image: If Your Personality Was a St. Louis Food...

Click to View 51 slides

Tags:

Food & Drink News Things to Do Gioia's the Hill Alex Donley St. Louis standards hot salami

About The Author

Jessica Rogen

Editor’s note

RFT writers review each profile independently. The editorial team does not handle advertising or affiliate revenue. Our writers neither know how stories are monetized, nor do they receive any commission. Instead, we pay them for their work. We do not engage in pay-for-play and accounts we review do not have input into our final story.

Affiliate Disclosure

Some articles on riverfronttimes.com contain special links to products or services. When you click these links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission from the company at no additional cost to you. The Riverfront Times maintains editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our writers and editors select products based on their merit, relevance to our readers, and journalistic value. We do not allow companies to pay for favorable reviews.