In the heart of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you will find a hidden gem of an Italian market. The owners are Mary and Jim, who prefer to be known by their first names; they named the market after Mary's mother’s maiden name, DeVeglio.
This power couple owned two restaurants and a pasta store on Long Island during a 20-year run. They moved to Myrtle Beach in 2022 to retire. Famous last words. Five months into retirement, Jim was depressed and wanted to cook, and they both missed New York-style food. No matter what people tell you, it’s not easy to find authentic Italian cuisine around here, even in this huge tourist mecca called the Grand Strand.
It took over seven months to find the right location, and The Market Common was the perfect spot for both working and living. The Market Common is a charming, open-style shopping center featuring restaurants, a movie theater, a bowling alley, retail shops, and residential homes.
It is also home to DeVeglio's, where you will find everything made from scratch, except the bread, which is shipped in from New York and New Jersey.
Mary's house made fresh pastas are already famous in the area. The pasta machines, Pasta-Mat-Inc, are from the late 1960s and still crank out incredible pasta. In addition, Mary has a brass die extruder. These machines make pastas such as bucatini, Bella Colonne—this is Mary's own signature cut—and capellini, tagliatelle (a top seller), cavatappi, pappardelle, radiatori, and fresh lasagna sheets.
Back in the kitchen, Jim is cooking away, making many types of sauces for retail, including marinara, Fra Diavolo, Bolognese, braised short rib ragù, pomodoro, vodka, and alfredo. Other specialties at DeVeglio’s include baked clams oreganata and traditional clam sauce made with real clams (not canned) and ravioli. In the winter, Mary and Jim make a lot of soups.
The cases out front are lined with delicacies such as cutlets, Southern fried chicken with a Tuscan flair (Jim's own creation), all-beef meatballs, seafood salad, beef braciole, shrimp salad made with mascarpone fresh mint and lemon zest stuffed into an artichoke, and flank steak pinwheels—just to name a few.
For special occasions and holidays, you will find things like St. Joseph pastries and pizza rustica. All of their pastry is made on-premise with the exception of Sfogliatelle. I watched them fill cannolis, and I got to eat one too!
When I asked what their best sellers are beside the pasta, Jim says it’s everything in the case. Being on the coast, eating out here can be hard. Restaurants are packed with tourists, so their clients love to bring their purchases back to eat and enjoy in the comfort of their homes.
Out front, there is a variety of pantry items for sale including olive oils, vinegars, and imported canned tomatoes you won't find in the grocery store.
When a customer walks in for the first time, some have actually cried and said “I’m home”! And of course, they return over and over. Other customers have said “I’ll have one of everything” because it reminds them of their old neighborhoods in the north.
These fine people made squid ink pasta for my visit for me to take home. Mary and Jim just kept feeding me, and this is the reason I love the Italian heritage so much. Food is love. Their passion just seeps out of them. I could have stayed all day and visited with them. I certainly made some new friends.
Mary says “When it’s good, it’s good.” I agree, it’s all good, and so are they. Just good, good people with a GREAT market.
You’ll find DeVeglio’s at 1550 Farrow Pkwy Suite C, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.
Please make sure to follow their Facebook page, where Mary posts daily about the gorgeous dishes coming out of the kitchen, ready for you to pick up and take home.
