Appealing to the wider community, the deli offers a 10 percent discount to senior citizens.
They are also one of the only businesses in Mahopac to offer Kosher style catering.
“It’s an important skill,” Gershman said. “Knowing what is allowed and what isn’t allowed. Kosher isn’t black and white with the same rules everywhere. You have to work in the shades of gray and know what’s appropriate, and we do.”
The duo is entrenched in the Mahopac community, both as business owners and citizens.
“Working in Mahopac, you become a part of the community in a way that you don’t if you’re just commuting to the city every day. You start to deeply value your relationships,” said Gershman, who credits the Mahopac schools with creating the careers of his two sons. Gershman is very active with Temple Beth Shalom in Mahopac, and is also a Boy Scout leader. In addition, he rides in an annual bicycle ride from Patterson NY to Bennington, Vt., to raise money for the Westchester ARC and the Special Olympics. Mercadante’s four children also attended Mahopac schools, and often help out at the deli.
“We do a lot of catering in the community,” he said. “And we’ve worked on accounts for the William Koehler Memorial Senior Center and St. John’s Catholic Church. It’s a nice community to be in.”
With a veteran staff and their business know-how, Mercadante’s Café & Gersky’s Catering has a special corner in a very competitive market. By learning different skills from each other and working on very different parts of the job, Mercadante and Gershman come together to create a wonderful product, and, according to Mercadante, “We really enjoy working with each other. We’ve developed a friendship over the years.”