HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — It truly is a dream come true for one long-time Hillsborough family who recently opened Antonio’s Deli in their hometown.
Maria Cristina Antonio and her husband Gabriel, moved to Hillsborough 20 years ago and have strong ties to the community.
Initially, the couple’s dream was to open up a bakery, because Maria’s grandfather owned a bakery back home in Colombia that was very successful.
“My dream as a child was to open a bakery,” said Maria Antonio. “We’ve had other adventures in terms of entrepreneurship, and they’ve gone okay, but, you know, it’s always been in my spirit and my husband’s spirit.”
The opportunity of a deli came up, and the couple decided, with the help of Maria’s brother Al Gil and their cook (who is more like family), Consuelo Escamilla to take the chance.
“If we can’t open up the bakery, then we can do the deli and offer some of our favorites in the deli, while keeping the spirit of the deli and turning it into like a deli cafe,” said Maria.
On April 4, they held a ribbon cutting for Antonio’s Deli in Mountain View Plaza at 856 Route 206 in Hillsborough.
“We’re a traditional deli. We’re Colombian. My family, Consuelo, is of Mexican origin, so we offer your deli with a twist. We cook Mexican food, Colombian food, and we offer Italian food,” said Maria.
This local eatery offers a menu of sandwiches, wraps, hot and cold subs, grilled favorites, cheesesteaks, soups, salads, breakfast sandwiches, and tasty Mexican specialties.
“I love cooking for people; it gives me great pleasure to see the smiles on my customers’ faces. It is a labor of love. They know when they dine or order at our establishment, the food is made fresh and with a lot of love,” said Escamilla. “I’ve been cooking for over 20 years and have learned quite a bit. It helps me offer a bit of variety, from your traditional deli-style food to cooked Latin and Italian dishes.”
One of their top sellers is their Empanadas made of beef, chicken, guava and cheese, and ham amd cheese.
“Our beef empanadas are not made with traditional ground beef. It’s a secret that keeps our customers asking what kind of meat are you putting in theses delicious empanadas,” said Gil.
Additionally, they offer catering services and are looking at offering a dinner service.
“I’m grateful for the community. I’m grateful to God. We’re people of faith. We know that we couldn’t do it without him,” said Maria of finally achieving their dream of opening the deli. “And the support and the love of a community was felt here, and they’ve responded extremely well.”
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. It’s been a dream, and we finally got the opportunity,” said Gabriel. “I want to introduce the community to different flavors and expose them to other cultures.”
The deli also plans to import authentic Colombian coffee.
“It’s a place, we want it to feel like home. We want people to feel welcome. Anyone that walks in that door should be treated with the same respect at every level,” said Maria. “And making it a feeling of home is the way that we welcome everybody, and the food that’s made there is also made in a way that you would do it in your own kitchen.”
Antonio’s Deli-Cious Khafe is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, to see the menu, or to place an order, visit antoniosdeli-ciouskhafe.com or DoorDash.
Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.
Dining and Cooking