Piccinini Brothers Deliver World-Class Meats Out East

When Sylvie Vaccari and her husband, third-generation owners of Piccinini Brothers — a New York City butcher supplying restaurants in the region, watched client after client shutter their New York City restaurant doors in March 2020, they pivoted to save their business: Direct delivery to the restaurant-goers turned stay-at-home cooks.

And although their restaurant client base is squarely in the city, they found a new market demand instantly: The Hamptons. Now, East End residents can order meats from the butcher right to their door.

“A lot of our New York customers were now asking us to come out to the East End,” Ms. Vaccari said. “It happened organically … a lot of people were telling people about us. The word spread.”

In the early days and weeks of the pandemic, grocery stores on the East End went from being packed with frantic shoppers — recall: the toilet paper shortage — to spaces feared as petri dishes for the virus’s transmission. Beef shortages and other supply chain issues further complicated grocery shopping nationwide.

But Piccinini Brothers kept operating throughout the summer and winter of 2020, delivering every Thursday and not missing a week, Ms. Vaccari said — even in spite of challenges, including only having one driver.

“Everybody was frightened. Nobody wanted to go food shopping,” she said. “We always worked it out.”

The family’s century-old business delivered to over 200 restaurants in the city prior to the pandemic, including some of New York City’s most popular restaurants — from Daniel Boulud’s Michelin star restaurant to Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group — which owns Gramercy Tavern.

“Our customers are really happy with us,” Ms. Vaccari said. “We’re very proactive — people have my cell phone and if they have any questions, they call me.”

Despite losing much of their wholesale business during the first weeks of the pandemic, their pivot to retail proved successful. When the pandemic hit, they quickly developed a website for ordering steaks, BBQ party packs and other meat products. Over time, their sales have become stronger — Ms. Vaccari even opened a retail storefront in October 2020 in Midtown Manhattan.

And operating a meat distribution business in the pandemic required substantial safety precautions. Meat processing facilities across the nation and globally were rocked by exceptionally large outbreaks among employees during the pandemic, forcing some plants to shutter. The cold and damp conditions, cramped spaces, and long work hours make meatpacking facilities prime for outbreaks, according to a BBC report.

“People were really upset and nervous,” Ms. Vaccari said, noting that at times it was difficult to get product in with plant shutdowns. “We all sort of had to take a deep breath.”

Piccinini Brothers takes orders for East End deliveries up until Wednesday morning. Come Thursday morning, everything is butchered in the city before being shipped down Long Island — so far, they’ve only had to run one truck each week. Ms. Vaccari estimated they deliver 25 orders each week to the Hamptons.

“At a certain point, if we’ve got to be more, we would add another delivery day,” she said. “We really encourage people to call us if they have any questions”

Piccinini Brothers delivery can be ordered online at piccininibros.com and orders totaling over $125 receive free delivery to the Hamptons.