Since 1959, Route 70 traffic whizzed by Lou and Ann's Deli in Cherry Hill; generations of customers.

A Route 70 institution, Lou & Ann's Deli opened in this building in 1959.

Louis Napolitano recalled working when he was 12 years old at Lou and Ann’s Deli, a Cherry Hill establishment founded in 1959 by his parents, Lou Napolitano and Anna Napolitano.

"My father put bottles of Coke and Pepsi on the back step, and my first job was to sort them out in a wooden box," he told 70nd73.com.

The Napolitano's venture 64 years ago has been a fixture at 257 Route 70 ever since, passed by millions of drivers over the decades.

Louis' parents were first-generation Italian Americans. They leased the building for 10 years before buying it in 1969.

That small, one-story building — witness to building and rebuilding along one of the most-traveled roads in the region — has remained in his family, even after a third of the building was leased to a florist and another third to a surf shop.

After his father died in 1998, followed by his mother in 2012, Louis bought his brother Michael Napolitano’s share of the business and has been running it ever since, said his wife, Sue Ann Napolitano.

Sue Ann explained she had helped off and on through the years, but about a decade ago left her job at an obstetrician-gynecologist’s office to help her husband full time.

"I make most soups and make my own beef, pork, soups, salads and prepared dinners," Louis said. "And I sell them at a very reasonable price. I think that is what separates me from the other delis in town."

A 70and73.com reader, and Lou and Ann's Deli fan, nominated the business to be a FIXTURE.

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As the configuration of Lou and Ann's Deli has changed over the years, so has the town it calls home.

The east side of what then was Delaware Township (the name was changed in 1961) was mostly farmland when the deli opened.

Back then, Route 70, or Marlton Pike, was a two-lane road in front of the deli. Later, the busy road was widened and became a four-lane highway, resulting in the loss of parking spaces in front of the building. Louis said that customers and visitors have had to park in the back ever since.

As Louis recounted the history, yet another Route 70 reconstruction project was going on nearby.

The deli operator said he knows his business will drop off when the crews work on the stretch of Route 70 in front of him.

Although that would concern any small business owner, he said it might give him time to see one of his sons, an executive with a natural gas company in northeastern Pennsylvania. That son and other members of Louis and Sue Ann’s extended family have no interest in taking over the establishment.

But even if Louis takes a vacation, he said it would be brief and that he would return to making the homemade Italian dishes.

Those dishes include clams and linguini, chicken parmigiana and Eggplant Lou & Ann.

The establishment's menu indicates that the latter dish, named after Louis' parents, consists of sausage-stuffed eggplant with tomato sauce. Seasonal specialties also are offered, such as a meatloaf dinner in winter and a ham dinner at Easter.

The workday stretches far beyond 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Louis and Sue Ann Napolitano, the owners of Lou and Ann’s Deli in Cherry Hill.

Louis said some items on the menu, such as the lentil sausage soup and lima bean and celery soup, are his mother’s recipes. A hot pepper spread that is also available is named after his mother.

Practically every other sandwich, salad and soup the deli offers are concoctions Lou said he prepared by reading a variety of cookbooks over the years.

Louis estimated he opens 18 six-pound containers of canned tomatoes weekly, then adds spices and seasonings and lets the mixture simmer for hours, thus creating the marinara sauce that flavors so many of the gourmet deli's dishes.

Since the couple makes so many of their menu items from scratch, grinding and shredding their meats and rinsing their beans, they said they feel bad they have to rely on a bakery for the bread and rolls that their sandwiches rest on.

Even with that help from the bakery, Louis and Sue Ann said their workday extends well beyond the 30 hours a week Tuesday through Saturday that the gourmet deli is open for taking orders for eat-in, takeout, delivery or catering.

During the 70and73.com interview, which took place about an hour before opening, Louis rotated between a range to check on a 20-quart pot filled with marinara sauce, and a refrigerator/freezer to add ingredients to the pasta salad he was preparing.

Louis has a business partner, Shawn O'Mara, who posts the gourmet deli's daily specials on Facebook and adds pictures of Louis' creations to the Instagram page, according to Sue Ann.

The Napolitanos live less than 100 yards from the gourmet deli, which may be a blessing and a curse.

"Everything's on my shoulders," Louis said. "I work 70 to 80 hours a week. I'm off Sundays and Mondays, but I spend a lot of those days prepping and cooking." He dismisses any sympathy, saying that so long as he can keep a small television in his kitchen, he is in his "glory."

The long hours do not keep the Napolitanos from getting to know their customers. Louis estimated he knows about three-quarters of the gourmet deli's customers by name.

"I've seen mothers come in pregnant, and their kids come in and then their kids come in," he said. "I've seen three generations of customers."

Many of those customers helped business at Lou and Ann’s Deli swell during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Louis.

"We got very, very busy when that happened," explained Louis, adding that some customers bought 20 to 30 of his prepackaged dinners at a time so they could stay indoors as much as possible.

The deli's vegan dishes have become increasingly popular over the years, according to Louis. The classic Italian hoagie, which for most customers has consisted of ham, capicola, provolone cheese, Genoa salami, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion, vinegar and oil, salt, pepper and Italian oregano has always been a best seller, said Louis, who added that he prefers the Roast Pork Italiano, a sandwich consisting of its namesake meat, spinach, roasted provolone and red peppers.

Now that summer is here, salads will replace soups as the most popular item that customers can grab from one of several fridges inside the gourmet deli. Come autumn and winter and into early spring, the soups are more popular, according to Louis.

Apparently, such is the circle of food life in Lou and Ann’s Deli, regardless of the generation.

IF YOU GO:

Lou and Ann’s Deli is at 257 Route 70 in Cherry Hill. The deli is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and closed Sundays and Mondays. Its website is louandanns.com.

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