GoodFellas Deli and Pizza, Mahopac
When Andrew Wiktor was 16-years-old, he worked for a deli in Lincolndale and could have never imagined he would one day have his own deli. But he enjoyed the experience enough that when he wanted to do something different, he decided to open up GoodFellas.
GoodFellas offers a wide variety of food to choose from, including hot food, cold cuts, and pizza. The deli also offers an extensive catering menu and with Thanksgiving coming up, the business is offering an entire turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
GoodFellas opened two years and one month ago. Wiktor, a Somers resident, was in a completely different career field, but was searching to do something else. He most recently worked full time as a recruiter for a medical school in Europe with his father for 18 years. When his friend presented the opportunity by putting the location on the market, Wiktor took advantage of it.
“I like food, I like dealing with customers and was willing to go with the experience,” Wiktor said. “It’s a lot of hours.”
Wiktor likes that he gets to see the people he serves face-to-face and isn’t stuck behind a desk for much of the day like in his old job that he’ll still do part-time. He also had to travel a lot so his new business allows him more time at home with his family, including his wife and two small children who will come to the deli to see their father at work.
“It’s 24-7,” he said. “There’s always something on your mind, there’s always something to do.”
And one creative twist to Wiktor’s deli is the different names of the sandwiches he determines, which are named after famous mobsters real and fictional. Wiktor said he loves seeing his customers look at the menu and giggle right before they’re going to order.
His personal favorite names are the Fat Tony (a mobster character from The Simpsons) and the Vladimir Putin (a sandwich that has Russian dressing.) Wiktor said even though Putin isn’t considered a classic mobster, he could easily be considered a worldwide gangster.
The name GoodFellas, of course, comes from the movie and Wiktor’s interest in Italian mobster movies.
With so many delis and pizza places in the area, Wiktor said he tries to ensure GoodFellas delivers quality food everyday, with much of the credit going to his chef who puts out a different hot table everyday.
“I love my customers,” he said. “I love the hamlet of Mahopac.”
