In September 1974, Cecile and Al Pepi moved to Houston to slow down from their hectic careers in New York.  They opened their first Market Cafe, featuring the same gourmet food they had served in their New York gourmet grocery stores.  They filled the shelves with imported cheeses, fresh bakery treats, whole smoked turkeys from Schulenburg, Texas, tins and crocks of French mustards, dozens of tasty snacks, a huge wine selection and every type of copper cooking pot and pan imaginable.

In Houston, they adopted the "Alonti" name and -- almost as an afterthought -- put in a small counter where customers could order custom sandwiches made from the delicious foods they stocked.  From the first day of business their new concept was a hit -- but not as a gourmet grocery store.  Alonti customers flocked to the custom sandwich counter!

The Pepis gave their customers what they wanted. They expanded the sandwich offerings by adding fresh salads, pastas and soups -- all made from family-recipes and cooked from scratch.  Alonti customers could see, smell and taste the quality difference and by 1991 there were 12 Alonti stores in Texas.

But Cecile and Al did more than serve fresh food fast.  They were committed to a standard of customer service that was not common in quick service restaurants.  Cecile often said,

Cecile was fiercely proud of her service staff.  They were -- and are today -- the heartbeat of our business.  She looked for the spark of greatness in everyone she worked with and she was committed to help that person reach his or her highest potential.  To her, that was as important as the secret ingredients in her Italian Wedding Soup.  She believed in training and mentoring and she said,

Today that important legacy continues.  Managers of many Alonti cafes started out as dishwashers or cooks and earned their way up.  These rare people are the reason Alonti has been such a successful company.

Cecile and Al also made certain that everyone could afford Alonti products.  Their policy was to

Cecile and Al built a great restaurant chain -- but they never got to slow down.  And that was just fine with them.  Every day they loved serving fabulous foods, making their customers happy and training the next generation of Alonti employees to carry on their tradition of

In 1991, Al Pepi Jr. succeeded his father as President and Alonti now operates in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Chicago and New York -- with more to come.