Something Called 'Italian Sushi' Would Be Invented In New Jersey

TINTON FALLS, NJ — Last spring, Dondi Peterson — the director of fresh mozzarella and pasta at Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace — wanted to challenge himself: What could he think up in the store's antipasto section that would really "wow" customers?

And Italian sushi was born.

"I've been making homemade mozzarella since I was 12 years old, starting in my uncle's pork store on Long Island," he said. "But I was looking to do something new and unusual. There are only so many different ways you can sell mozzarella. I was watching TikTok and I thought, hmm I could do that — but better. It's really just a glorified pinwheel, but it went viral and took off."

Uncle Giuseppe’s posted this video April 7 on TikTok and Instagram of Peterson making his Italian sushi, and the clip went viral, surpassing more than one million views in the past week.

Peterson layers meats and cheeses rolled into bites. Uncle Giuseppe’s sells three different rolls: One with pepperoni, pesto and hot honey; another with stracciatella (which is the filling in burrata cheese), roasted red pepper and prosciutto and finally, a fig, arugula and prosciutto for those who like something a little sweeter.

He put the "sushi" on the shelves of their Tinton Falls store last May.

"I was a little hesitant; I said let's see how this is gonna do. And it took off. I could not believe how much we sold. We've sold over 50,000 Italian sushi rolls since we launched them."

Uncle Giuseppe’s packages the sushi rolls in boxes similar to sushi, and they're drizzled with a balsamic glaze instead of soy sauce. It's $12.99 for a package of eight.

"We even put chopsticks in there. With the nice weather here, it's a great appetizer when you're sitting outside, or a lunch. A lot of my friends are doing the Keto thing and it's perfect for that because it's just meat and cheese," he said. "I'm always trying to think of something new. I'm currently working on a vegetarian one with eggplant, and I'm trying to think how to get a chicken cutlet in there."

Peterson, 41, has a unique job. He visits all 12 Uncle Giuseppe’s Markets across New Jersey and Long Island (there are three in New Jersey; Ramsey was their first, Morris Plains and Tinton Falls) and makes sure the pasta and mozzarella (which are always made in house) taste exactly right.

"My uncle taught me how to make homemade pasta and mozzarella and a lot of people just don't have that knowledge anymore," he said. "It's really important to keep the knowledge from the past alive."

"When it comes to food and you have a passion and an imagination for it, you can do anything you want," he said.