Asbury Park Zest The Rainbow Issue Summer 2015 | Page 17

be an undertaker, but my mother wouldn’t hear
any of that. I asked her if I could go to cooking
school, and she was very happy with that!” So,
he ventured to the Culinary Institute of America
(CIA) in Hyde Park, NY, and cultivated his passed
down culinary talent.
At the onset of his career, Presto was the
Executive Chef at the Flo Jean Restaurant in Port
Jervis, NY. When he relocated to NJ in 1998, he
became a quality control specialist in the medical field. He started a catering business on the
side, which exploded, and inspired him to rethink
his career, and pursue his true passion – cooking.
In 2010, DJ invested in downtown Asbury Park
along with his spouse, Ron Wendolowski, and
together they took over Aunt Bea’s Market on
Mattison Ave. They opened DJ’s Delights – a coffee bar and deli.
Their first year was so successful that they
quickly added equipment to cook hot lunches
and dinners. They then immediately expanded
again, and took over the business space next
door and opened a dining room and full-service
restaurant. When yet another adjacent space
became available, they added Asbury Park’s
downtown green grocer and shopping market,

also carrying canned and boxed goods and
sundries, and completed their triple play.
Their brand is now DJ’s Delights Deli &
Restaurant, consistently known for its efficient
and friendly service, homey atmosphere, and
a relaxed, zenlike quality in their dining room,
where meals are enjoyed, meetings are held,
and individuals stop in to check emails or chill.
Both DJ and Ron enjoy entertaining and
see the business as an extension of their home
because their wish is for customers to feel like
they’re having a meal at a friend’s house.
“The best thing about my job is my customers,”
Presto relates. “I love them all! They are family
to me.” The worst thing about his job is, of course,
the 90 hours or so a week he spends on his feet.
“It’s exhausting, but rewarding,” he states.
It must be, because he is still expanding. In
May, Presto opened a satellite DJ’s (deli/market/sundries) in Asbury Tower, the oceanfront
Springpoint Senior Living residence in Asbury
Park.
And… he is looking to open another DJ’s
Delights Deli & Restaurant in Red Bank when the
time is right.

Rainbows
& Porkroll

Happy Pride Asbury Park!
Serving you and yours since 2010.
620 Mattison Ave Asbury Park, NJ
www.DJsInAP.com • 732.869.1100