The Food

Born & Raised in Malverne, NY - On (not in) Long Island, about 15 minutes from NYC. Graduated from St. Paul's School in Garden City, NY in 1988 and got my associates degree in Restaurant management from Nassau Community College in 1993, all while working my first job, a cashier and drive thru master at McDonald's in Lynbrook, NY. That first job kinda stuck...for almost 30 years...in various positions that took me all over Long Island and the 5 boroughs, and eventually, in 2006, here in Savannah, GA. McDonald's had been very, very good to me, but I was itching to do something on my own, and in 2016, decided to strike out on my own, and Rocky's Italian Catering was born, catering events from the small kitchen in my home in Pooler, GA. 

As much as I fell in love with Savannah, as well as the terrific variety of food found all over the city, I felt myself missing those "go-to's" i had in NY - the sandwiches and comfort foods that were always readily available. I started to doing somre research on how I could get those tastes that I missed replicated down here. I stumbled upon the perfect spot in Sandfly, and on April 9, 2018, the doors of Rocky's NY Deli & Italian Catering opened for the first time. And it's been the coolest of rides ever since.

A die-hard, bleed-blue-and-orange" NY Mets fan (its easy to be a Yankees fan...it takes character to be a Mets fan), and a true blue NY Giants nut (Eli belongs in the hall of fame), the highlights of my day is talking sports with my incredible customers and watching the taste of our food bring up memories of the places they were at when they first had the things on our menu. Equally as exciting, are the customers who have never had the taste of NY and are amazed at the pride and quality that is in every one of our products.

Savannah is my home now, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker at heart.

The Owner

​Bill Vissicchio

Who we are and what we do....

What comes to mind when you think of New York? The city that never sleeps...Times Square...Broadway...that magnificent skyline...THE FOOD - anything you want at any time of day or night. There's just something about New York food that tastes different, authentic, real. For me it was the comfort food - sandwiches - the delis that were on every corner each with its own distinct tastes and ways of doing things. I might drive past 5 or 6 delis to get to the one that had "my" sandwich.

What we have tried to create at Rocky's is a menu of "my sandwiches." A lot of memories, time and research were put in, creating our menu. Many long hours were spent in many delis and sandwich shops all over the 5 boroughs and Long Island watching how sandwiches were put together and what tastes make them unique. Yeah, I ate a lot of sandwiches - someone had to do it. There are thousands of delis across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and only one of us, so we may not do it exactly the way you might remember at your go-to deli, but I can assure you, you will be able to taste the same pride and authenticity that goes into every product we offer. 

Nothing says New York like Pastrami & Corned beef. The only way to get it right is to make it yourself. We do it from scratch - using USDA Prime brisket, sitting it in a brine for up to 2 weeks, rubbing what will be pastrami in our proprietary blend of spices then smoking it for 12-14 hours before cooling it and slicing it thin. Corned beef is taken right from the brine and baked with our spice blend. That pastrami on rye that you order from Rocky's is 2-3 weeks in the making.

Roast beef cooked rare from scratch, cheesesteaks made from 100 % Ribeye, the best Italian cold cuts, fresh mozzarella made daily, sides and salads made from scratch...just some of the things we do to make every meal special.

And that NY breakfast...stop by on the way to work for an authentic Baconeggandcheese on a hardroll directly from the JJ Cassone bakery in Westchester, NY. Bagels? We could probably get pretty good ones around here, but if you want a real NY bagel, why not get them directly from the source? Our partner at A & S Bagels in Franklin Square, NY (the same bagel shop I used to go to as a kid) ships them directly to us. They are boiled (in that NY water), parbaked, frozen, and finished in our oven fresh. They are simply the best bagels Ive ever had (and thats coming from a NY bagel snob).

Anyone could could slice some cold cuts, put a picture of the Statue of Liberty on the wall and call it New York "Style." At Rocky's...

We Aint New York "Style"

WE ARE NEW YORK