A celebrity Italian chef has taken full ownership of his butcher shop and market in Easton, giving it a new name and new offerings.
Mangia Carne held a rebranding party for its new name, Luca and Sons, this week at the Easton Public Market at 325 Northampton St., where it offers meats, imported Italian cheeses, sandwiches, chicken parmesan, breads, tomato sauce and vegetables.
Owner and “MasterChef” winner Luca Manfè said he chose the new name in honor of his family, specifically 9-year-old Valentino and 11-year-old Luca, who sometimes help at the shop and could take over in the future if they wanted to.
“It’s doing very good, doing very good,” Manfè said. “I think we built a good community of regular customers, especially during the week — lunches, people that work around here. They come pretty regularly.”
Manfè opened the shop in April alongside butcher Mark Citera, who has since stepped down as co-owner.
“The time passed by and more we realized that we weren’t really compatible,” Manfè said.
Manfè has increased meat offerings to include rib eye, flank steaks, ground beef, hamburgers, chicken sausage, garlic sausage and pepper-and-onion sausage.
Later this year, the menu will also grow to include Tuscan schiacciata bread and pastas like ravioli, fettucine and gnocchi. Other offerings include wraps, salads, charcuterie boards, tiramisu and cannoli.
The hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Citera owns the Citera Family Meat Market at 1411 Chipperfield Drive in Stroud Township, Monroe County.
In a written statement, he said he stepped away from Mangia Carne due to the co-owners’ different culinary backgrounds, and that he and Manfè “had different ideas about the direction of the food and the business. As New Yorkers and Italian Americans, my family and I bring a very specific style of butchering and cooking, and it became clear that our approaches didn’t align. It had nothing to do with volume or variety.”
“We wish Mangia Carne every success moving forward, we are very proud of what we built there, but we will remain committed to growing and supporting the community that has supported us for so many years,” Citera said.
Citera Family Meat Market will also expand in early 2026 with more options for produce, baked goods and groceries.
A chuck roast is available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Luca Manfé, owner of Luca and Sons, stands in front of his Italian cafe and butcher shop Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Roma, classic Italian sandwich featuring local sourdough ciabatta, porchetta, provolone, broccoli rabe, and salsa verde is a menu item at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Imported olive oil is available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A chuck roast, tenderloin and rib eye are cuts of meat available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A chuck roast, tenderloin and rib eye are cuts of meat available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Roma, classic Italian sandwich featuring local sourdough ciabatta, porchetta, provolone, broccoli rabe, and salsa verde is a menu item at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Fuggedaboudit, classic hero on a 12 inch Italian features ham, mortadella, Genoa salami, hot capi, mozzarella, iceberg, tomatoes, red onion is a menu item at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A tenderloin is available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A chuck roast, tenderloin and rib eye are cuts of meat available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Fuggedaboudit, classic hero on a 12 inch Italian features ham, mortadella, Genoa salami, hot capi, mozzarella, iceberg, tomatoes, red onion is a menu item at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
A rib eye is available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Show Caption
1 of 12
A chuck roast is available at Luca and Sons on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in the Easton Public Market in Easton. The shop features sandwiches, sausages and meats, imported olive oil, pasta and more. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Expand
Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
Pickleball Kingdom has rescheduled its grand opening Nov. 28 at the Whitehall Square shopping center at 2180 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township, a news release announced.
Previous reservations made in the Pickleball Kingdom app have been rescheduled to the new grand opening weekend. The facility will have 14 indoor courts, three event rooms, an elevator for ADA access, classes, youth programs, leagues and tournaments.
Yung Esau’s Vintage Shop will begin a soft opening at noon on Friday and a grand opening on Dec. 6 at 97 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem. The store will offer clothing from the 1980s to the early 2000s such as T-shirts, hats, pants and jackets that were sourced from flea markets and other locations.
The new Phantoms Pro Shop opened to the public Tuesday next to the PPL Center’s Lehigh Valley Health Network Gate in Allentown, a news release announced, where it offers Lehigh Valley Phantoms apparel and collectibles.
to Hamilton Street.””]
The new shop will operate 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on game days.
The team’s original main store will continue to operate during game nights outside Sections 108-109 of the PPL Center, and has rebranded as the “Phantoms Team Store powered by Shift4.”
In other news
Alongside a new collectible peppermint bark tin, The Shoppe at Hotel Bethlehem now offers the hotel’s annual ornament at 437 Main St. in Bethlehem, a news release announced, designed by artist Peter Preiss.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.
Dining and Cooking