“Fratello” means brother in Italian so it is only natural that Marco Caso and his brother-in-law Adriano Martino went into business together.
Caso has been married for 25 years to Sophia, the sister of Martino, who is married to Michelle. The two gentlemen, both of Tinley Park, have been business partners since 2001 and opened Fratello’s Cafe & Deli in Homewood in May in a space formerly occupied by the Expressions in Hair salon.
“We’ve always had our eye on Homewood. We love the downtown location with the street traffic, walking traffic and people traffic,” said Caso who left a corporate job to work full time in the food industry.
“It’s just a wonderful general atmosphere. We love the feel of the town there.”
Caso and Martino previously owned Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza locations for 11 years, and Martino owned Giuseppe’s in Blue Island prior to their partnership.
Fratello’s operates cafeteria locations in Chicago Heights at Ford’s stamping plant and Prairie State College and in Harvey at Atkore International as well as the Homewood cafe and deli, which seats 45 people in 2,300 square feet designed with Homer Glen-based Domani Construction & Development Inc.
“We definitely have items that you cannot find anywhere else: the homemade meatballs and homemade giardiniera, both hot and mild,” said Caso, touting the quality and value at Fratello’s.
“We’re very hands-on. We cook everything every single day along with our staff. Everything is homemade and done from scratch. We just love what we do. Hopefully what we offer them is something unique as far as taste goes.”
Pasta dishes start at $6.99, chicken sandwiches start at $5.49, beef and sausage items start at $5.29 and salads start at $3.99. Deli wraps or grilled flatbreads, deli selections and panini all start at $5.99.
“We also have a line of Italian imported desserts, Italian meats and cheeses all imported from Italy, and we have plenty of parking,” said Caso, adding that Fratello’s offers dine-in cocktails including the signature frozen sangria swirl as well as catering, carry-out and a kids menu.
The top seller is the Italian beef. Made on-site daily, the slowly roasted thinly sliced beef comes on Gonnella Baking Co. French bread with sweet or hot peppers.
Other popular items are the char-grilled house-made Italian sausage and the hand-breaded eggplant Parmesan topped with marinara and melted mozzarella.
“It’s somewhere someone can go in the neighborhood and get a real nice lunch or dinner,” said Caso, who noted that delivery service and possible outdoor dining in spring or summer are on the horizon.
“Because it’s a cafe, I think people are pleasantly surprised that they’re greeted with real plates, real tableware, real napkins and not disposable plates and cups. You do definitely get your money’s worth.”
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Fratello’s Cafe & Deli
Location: 18201 Dixie Highway, Homewood
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays; 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays
Menu: Italian and American
Contact: 708-799-4388 or fratelloscatering.com
