By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

To many, they’re known simply as “Mr. and Mrs. Macaro.” And that’s just fine for Jon and Sharon Rush, who have owned Macaro’s Deli and Catering for the past 25 years. It means that the rich tradition generated from a small deli that opened close to 60 years ago on Westfield Ave. – one they’ve helped to perpetuate and grow – is just as fresh today as the ingredients on one of their hoagies.

“We’ve done this for a long as we have because we’ve found a business we enjoyed pursuing,” says Jon. “It’s a rewarding career.”

Jon and Sharon met, fell in love and got married, all while working at Jack Lang Clothes, the men’s clothing chain that was headquartered here in Pennsauken for 30 years. Jon joined the company in 1974 and worked his way up to vice president. Sharon was the head of the computer department for several dozen of their stores. When the company filed for bankruptcy in 1991, Jon and Sharon were faced with a career change.

“I love to cook, so we thought, ‘Why not open a restaurant?,’” explains Sharon.  “Then we were in Ventnor, sitting in a deli and we said, ‘Let’s open a deli.’”

From working in town, the two were aware of Macaro’s Deli and Catering and approached the owners about purchasing the business. They weren’t “Mr. and Mrs. Macaro” either; the Tortella family bought the deli from Sal Macaro about 25 years prior.

“Passing down Westfield here, you would notice people coming in and out of Macaro’s,” says Jon. “We certainly frequented the place for hoagies and cheese steaks and knew that it was a viable business in the area. So when the opportunity presented itself, we bought the store.”

Since taking over, Jon and Sharon expanded the menu, adding breakfast items and bacon, that all important food group. They also installed a fryer to serve more types of hot items, including club sandwiches, French fries, and the like. But some things, like the meatballs, are still made using Sal Macaro’s original recipe.

“We have a lot of authentic Italian recipes that have been passed down from generations of Macaros,” says Jon. “We’ve tried to stay as true to those as we can.”

“We use nothing but natural ingredients,” adds Sharon. “We don’t use MSG. We grate our own cheeses, grate our own breadcrumbs. We don’t buy anything premade. Our potato salad, macaroni salad, and cole slaw are all made here. It’s not boxed. We actually peel the potatoes.”

And then there are the hoagies, one of the deli’s signature menu items. Macaro’s has something called their “famous flip.” They actually flip their hoagies so the meat’s on top, highlighting the copious amounts they put on their gigantic sandwiches.

“We’ve been able to maintain a niche with our hoagie,” says Jon. “We have a reputation for our hoagies, from their size to the amount of ingredients and meat that we put in them.”

Sharon, who actually doesn’t eat lunchmeat at all, loves to highlight their hot sandwiches, including their roast pork with broccoli rabe and their chicken parmesan with spinach.

Whether it’s taking an order from behind the counter for lunch, or setting up the catering hall adjacent to the deli for a reception or a meeting of a community group – Macaro’s has been the “official” meeting place of the Pennsauken Lions Club for the last 15 years – the Rushes pride themselves on knowing and serving their customers to the best of their ability.

“We have developed so many friendships over the years with customers. We know everything about them,” explains Sharon. “We did the wedding for the parents, and then we do the wedding for the children. We grow with our customers. They all come in, they show you pictures. They tell you everything about their families and you become their friends. And that’s how you grow your business.”

Jon and Sharon know they won’t be working the counter 25 years from now, but they’re not quite ready to hang up the aprons yet.

“We’re at the same stage now that the former owners were when we bought Macaro’s in 1991,” explains Jon. “We’ve done our 25 years. We’re looking at the next 10 and thinking somebody else should run the business down the road.”

In the meantime, you’ll find “Mr. and Mrs. Macaro” within the four walls of the establishment, working together.

“We’re here every day,” says Jon. “If the door is open, 99.9 percent of the time you’re going to find one or both of us here. We want to be here and add that personal touch.”

“We’ve always worked well together,” adds Sharon. “I prepare the food; he handles the business aspect of it. He doesn’t want to cook and I don’t want to do the books. It’s a perfect marriage.”

Macaro’s Deli and Catering, located at 6225 Westfield Ave. in Pennsauken, is open seven days a week. Hours are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information or to find out about Macaro’s catering hall, visit http://www.macaros.com or call (856) 665-5286.