Fino's Italian Deli & Catering

In December 1990, Joann Johnson (maiden name Finocchiaro) decided Memphis had absolutely nowhere in town to shop for authentic Italian groceries. Joann’s parents immigrated to the US from Sicily and set up stake in “The Hill” district of St. Louis, MO. Joann moved to Memphis and always had trouble finding all of the Italian ingredients she needed to just make a simple Italian dinner. So, she started Fino’s Italian Grocery.

While Fino’s (pronounced FIN-OHS) started out as mostly a grocery store, it quickly evolved into a grocery & deli with the addition of sandwiches and homemade desserts – and, thus, a few tables for dining in. Twenty years later, Fino’s had morphed into a 43-seat deli with about 1/3 of the floor space dedicated to grocery shelves for specialty Italian items available nowhere else in Memphis. In those 20 years, Fino’s grew into what we like to call a “Memphis institution” – a hidden little gem in Midtown that everyone had heard about, but not everyone had tried. Those “in the know” were rewarded with a food addiction caused by the crusty bread, the homemade olive tapenades, our specialty marinated tomato/onion dressing for the sandwiches, and specialty Italian meats imported directly from Volpi on “The Hill” in St. Louis.

After 20 years of building a loyal following, Joann was ready to call it quits, retire, and either sell Fino’s off or just close it. That’s where I come in.