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Photo by Jim Craven Elizabeth Pippa serves up some tacos at Salvatore's, where Mexican and Italian cuisine mingle New York-style in Ashland. Deli offers a taste of the Big Apple Salvatore's fills an empty slot in Ashland cuisine By PETER WONG ASHLAND -- You've heard of mom-and-pop businesses, and maybe mom-and-son businesses. Salvatore's New York Deli, which opened a month ago in the Ashland Shopping Center, is a BUSINESS CARD Name : Salvatore's New York Deli Service : Lunch, primarily sandwiches, and dinner; takeout and delivery service available Address : 1640 Ashland St. (Ashland Shopping Center), Ashland Phone : 201-0133 Hours : 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Hours may be adjusted. Owner : Sal Pippa Employees : 11 mom-and-son business that is a tribute to pop. "We opened the restaurant for him," said owner Sal Pippa. "He passed away nine years ago, and we opened the restaurant on the anniversary of his death, Oct. 23." Pippa's father, also named Salvatore or Sal, was a singer and songwriter back East. His picture is on the wall, along with an album cover listing some of the songs he wrote. The younger Pippa is a recent graduate of Ashland High School, where he played on the basketball team. He has worked in several restaurants. The restaurant, which is next to Radio Shack in the space once occupied by Figaro's Italian Kitchen, is a family operation. His mother, Elizabeth, does much of the cooking, and his sister, Michelle, is the manager. "We have been trying to open our own business for four or five years, and finally, we had the motivation and decided to do it," Sal Pippa said. Though they considered opening a taquitos stand, Pippa said they chose a different direction. "We have nothing here in Ashland that is New York," he said. The menu mixes Italian and Mexican cuisines. Though the specialty Italian meats and cheeses aren't hanging from the ceiling, as found in delicatessens in the old days, they can be seen easily in the refrigerator case. The lunch menu is dominated by subs and other sandwiches, though there are soups and Mexican dishes. Italian meats such as capicolla (sausage with sweet red peppers), Genoa salami, mortadella (smoked sausage) and prosciutto (ham) are stuffed with provolone cheese in a sourdough roll known as "Phat Boy." Other specialty sandwiches are "New York pastrami," with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye, and "Philly cheesesteak," thinly sliced beef with provolone, bell peppers and grilled onions. Dinner, which is made by Pippa's mother, is preceded by the restaurant's transformation. The tablecloths are brought out to cover the plastic tables, the lights are lowered and candles are lit to put diners in the mood for Italian cuisine. "It is a big challenge and can be really stressful," Sal Pippa said. "But it has been busy, I have been pleased, and there have been no negatives right now. "People come in, they like the food and keep coming back -- and that is what you want in a restaurant." Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA