Gourmet deli-style specialty market opens in Italian Market

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Break out the brunch board: A new gourmet grocery store is opening in the Italian Market.

Biederman’s Specialty Foods kicks off its grand opening this weekend at 824 Christian St.

“It’s a specialty food store — kind of think of the traditional New York appetizing shops,” said owner Lauren Biederman. They specialize in smoked fish.

“We’ll have lots of different kinds of smoked salmon. We’ll do some herring, whitefish, whitefish salad, fresh bagels every day.”

Opening nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic may seem like a risk, but Biederman saw it as a chance to perfect her concept.

“I think people opening businesses right now have seen an opportunity to take the time that we had off,” she said.

Many small businesses have closed during the pandemic, and Philadelphia restaurants, in particular, have been gutted due to a nearly two-month ban on indoor dining. But Biederman believes business owners are breaking the mold to fulfill their creative endeavors.

“There are wineries, there’s new restaurants happening, there’s the grocery aspect, that people are kind of doing the pivot — and here I am.”

COVID-19 restrictions have also tamped down on profits, but she’s is banking on an end to that soon — or at least this year.

“It’s hard to look toward the end of the pandemic, but it’s going to be hard if people don’t have anywhere to go,” she added.

Biederman has spent 10 years in the restaurant industry, mostly in New York and Connecticut.  She came to Philadelphia nearly four years ago, and the warmth of her Brotherly Love neighbors is making her consider staying here long term.

“And I think that in the years to come, we’ll just keep slinging out fish and a hand-sliced salmon.”

For more about Biederman’s, listen to the KYW Newsradio original podcast What’s Cooking on the RADIO.COM app.