Chris Bertucelli made friends faster than you can stack salami on a roll.
For years, customers have known the drill at his family’s popular Italian deli, La Villa, in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood: You quickly grab a number upon entering because the line for service is long and getting longer. Then you would holler hello to Chris and hope to catch some chat time with him as he scurried from the deli case to the hot counter with its freshly cooked ravioli, to the kitchen, where mother Patty oversees the cooking operation.
The Lincoln Avenue legend was known for his spirited community involvement and for making thousands of his signature Chris Combo sandwiches over the years for South Bay customers, including the San Jose Sharks and San Francisco 49ers teams. He died this week at age 47.
“It is with profound sadness that we share with you the sudden passing of our beloved son, father, husband and great friend,” reads the family note posted on the deli door Thursday, above the overflowing display of flowers brought by customers. “We appreciate the support of the entire community and ask for your continued support and privacy during this most difficult of times.”
Willow Glen merchants and longtime customers have been reeling ever since, with many sharing memories on social media.
“The news broke my heart,” said Janie Koumoutsakis, a customer for 50 years. “I watched Chris grow from a young boy helping his Dad to a man with his own family.” She said he was an entrepreneur who always appreciated the longevity of her family’s patronage.
“La Villa has always been a part of my life,” Pam Caselli Oliverio wrote, “from my mother bringing me there the day it opened, to countless family dinners and celebrations, to shipping ravs and sauce 3,000 miles to our daughter. … We are all at a loss for words. He will be truly missed.”
“What a shock to this entire community,” the Mann’s Jewelers staff wrote on social media. “What Chris has done for Willow Glen is obvious in all of these messages. He truly was a celebrity and the star of Lincoln Avenue.”
Others who had moved away from the Bay Area wrote of visiting La Villa and Bertucelli packing up boxes of ravioli and sauce for their trips back home.
The Bertucelli family, the longtime owners of this deli, are locally famous for two things: their ravioli with its tender dough and the secret-ingredient Chris Combo.
The sandwich that Chris Bertucelli invented back when he was a teenager has become famous with both the National Hockey League and the National Football League. How so? La Villa often feeds the San Jose Sharks and the San Francisco 49ers — plus the teams that come to the South Bay to compete against them. Among the deli’s biggest fans are former Sharks Mike Ricci, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture.
The ingredients that make up the Chris Combo are secret, but those who love the sandwich can confirm that it’s a melty amalgamation of a couple of meats, a couple of cheeses and a sprinkling of Italian spices, all heated up on a soft roll.
Details about Bertucelli’s death and memorial plans have not been publicly announced by the family.
This is a developing story. Come back for updates.
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