Anthony's sells old-time fresh deli foods

Walking into Anthony's Deli Warehouse is like stepping back in time 30 years, and that's the way own…

Walking into Anthony's Deli Warehouse is like stepping back in time 30 years, and that's the way owners Joey Leo and Paul Mendel like it.

The Clearwater-Largo Road business sells bread, meat, cheese, olives and much more.

"We are a small old-time business. We make our own mozzarella fresh. We grind our sausage fresh. Everything is old time except there's no sawdust on the floor," Mendel said. "Everything is sliced and made to order ... and wrapped in butcher paper."

Jars of olives with ladles line one wall, and a counter is filled with lasagna, fresh mozzarella, pasta salad, clam shells and other home-style-prepared foods. Pastry, bread, noodles and other staples fill shelves. Sandwiches can be made to order.

The deli meats, which are mostly made on the premises, are priced competitively. The turkey is $6.99 per pound; ham is $5.99 per pound, Mendel said.

Mendel, 50, and Leo, 49, both have operated other businesses, including the pizza restaurants in Clearwater Leo has owned. Anthony's Deli opened in May 2011. The family friends said they did not want to use their own names in the business' name, in case their sons wanted to start a business, but now their sons like the name Anthony's, too.

Largo resident Danielle Perfetto came into the deli recently with her six-week-old daughter. During her recent pregnancy, Perfetto came in all the time because Anthony's turkey is very low in sodium and she could not eat other deli meats, she said.

The food "is all very fresh. You can feel good about what you eat here," Perfetto said.