05/03/2026
Sharing back stories via Author Chuck Miceli’s post:
EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE - 35th in my series from “GOD is Watching the Apples”
In addition to the Mountain Room, Carmela Marie’s catering, and specialty dinners at the Arts at Angeloria’s, more opportunities came to Tops Marketplace.
After catering Briarwood College’s graduation at the request of friend Deborah LaRoche, Tops was invited to bid on full-time food service when Briarwood was bought by Lincoln College. They needed a meal plan for on-campus students to maintain accreditation. Too small for larger purveyors, it seemed perfect for Tops. Feeling overwhelmed, John asked his brother Steve to take it on. Steve and his wife Valerie ran the makeshift cafeteria while Tops supplied the food. But it was Steve and Valerie’s personalities that made it a huge success on campus.
Steve created the “Thought of the Day”—a unique motivational reflection shared on a whiteboard each day for students to consider. He and Val attended every sporting event Lincoln offered, cheering the kids on, even when they lost. At the end-of-year graduation, the school invited Steve to speak. When he finished, he received a rousing standing ovation from students, faculty, administration, and parents.
John and Jack had invested heavily in Allied Groceries as their distributor when they bought Tops in 1979. When Allied failed, they lost $50,000. They survived while others more heavily invested did not. Sweet Life approached them next but also folded. It was Bozzuto’s, an IGA distribution center in Cheshire, that remained diligent and aggressive. The IGA brand, around since 1926, brings independent grocers together across the U.S. and worldwide to keep family-owned stores like Tops strong. Today, 80% of what Tops purchases comes from Bozzuto’s.
New to this series? Read the full archive:
https://authorchuckmiceli.com/?page_id=1004
Buy the eBook:
https://books2read.com/b/GOD-is-Watching
All editions on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/GOD-Watching.../dp/B0FPWZ9674/
Buy the book locally at Tops and SoCCA
