Owner Joseph Cerra, left, and Manager Nick Martino work the counter of the current Lynnfield Meat & Deli.
Lynnfield Meat & Deli relocates and relaunches as Cerra’s Market
By STACEY MARCUS
For the past 25 years, customers have been popping by Lynnfield Meat & Deli on Route 1 in Lynnfield to pick up fresh meats and deli, grab a sandwich or place a catering order. Although the perishables frequently change, customers can always count on seeing Ron Cerra and his son Joe hard at work behind the counter or out in the store.
Customers who visit the market have probably noticed the black and white photo hanging in the store. They can thank the handsome gentleman in the photo for instilling a strong work ethic and affinity for quality and fresh products in his son and grandson. Joseph Cerra opened a butcher shop in the North End in 1952 named Cerra’s Meat Market.
“Those were the days when people would come to get fresh meats sliced to order daily,” says Ron, who owned and operated Cerra’s Veal in the 1970s before opening Lynnfield Meat & Deli in 1992. The family is now coming full circle and launching Cerra’s Market in the former home of Karl’s Sausage Kitchen on Route 1 in Saugus.
The location of the new Cerra’s Market will be on Rt. 1 North in Saugus.
The relocation to Saugus is a wise business move for many reasons. The Cerras will own the building instead of being tenants-at-will. And, in addition to giving their customers easy access and ample parking, the move will allow them to attract more customers from Saugus as well as commuters traveling north on Route 1. The new location at 142 Broadway in Saugus will feature a bigger kitchen and double-deck pizza oven. The modern day emporium will offer fresh and convenient options for people who love to eat quality food but lead busy lives. Prepared foods, packaged marinated meats and homemade soups and sauces will be great options for people to grab on their way home from work. Think homemade chicken broccoli and ziti, stuffed peppers, Arancini balls and eggplant parmesan made just for your family. Although produce will be eliminated, deli lovers will still discover a wide array of fresh meats and cheeses cut to order.
While Joe Cerra will be custom cutting steaks like his grandfather did in his market in the North End, he will also be cooking up some new ideas he learned from his training at the Johnson and Wales University in Providence and the International Culinary Center in New York.
One of the areas he will be expanding is the catering services.
“We outgrew the space in Lynnfield. I’m excited to have a lot more prep space,” says Joe, who plans to be open seven days a week and stay open longer hours.
“When you love something, it doesn’t feel like work. We grew up around the dinner table,” he says, still relishing the Sunday dinners his mother made for the family.
Lucky travelers on Route 1 will now be able to share some of that home-cooked love with their families every day.
Photos: Paula Muller
