Jennifer Prezioso was pursuing her dreams of acting when her grandfather called, he needed a ride to work. Moe Albanese was, after all, 93 years old. Retirement apparently wasn’t under consideration.

Her great-grandparents, Vincenzo and Mary Albanese, had opened Albanese Meats & Poultry in 1923, back when the neighborhood had several Italian butcher shops. Vincenzo brought the trade from Sicily. Mary, who grew up on those very streets, spoke fluent English and became, by Moe's account, better with a knife than her husband.

Jennifer Prezioso was busy pursuing her dreams of acting, she hadn't planned on becoming a butcher. But, as she began spending time at the shop, driving Moe home and watching him work, she also learned what keeping it open involved. She helped organize paperwork, discovered he was undercharging his clients and got him to go viral on Instagram. Soon enough new and old customers started coming in saying they hadn’t realized the place was still open.

By 2019, Jennifer was essentially running the store. Moe had taught her to debone pork, butcher an Easter lamb, and most importantly, how to pick ribeyes. You see, Moe had his own way of recruiting customers: a ribeye he called the “I got’cha” steak. Someone would buy one, cook it and come back. “I got you”, he would tell them, “I got you as a customer now”.

Moe still came in, increasingly happy to let his granddaughter tell visitors the family's story. Then, in 2020, he died of COVID-19.

By then, the Little Italy he'd known had almost disappeared. Rising rents had pushed out families, and luxury shops surrounded the butcher's red storefront. Some neighboring businesses lasted barely six months. Jennifer knew that a century of family history wouldn't pay the rent. Still, every morning, she opened the shop.

At 238 Elizabeth Street, the family photographs remain, alongside meat that still needs cutting and bills that still need paying. "I don't make any money from chitchatting with people all day," she told Eater. Being loved is nice. Selling dinner keeps the doors open. And the "I got'cha" steak? It's still on the menu. Customers still come back for it, just as they did for Moe.

Not bad for someone who only showed up because Grandpa needed a ride.