May 1, 2026
Lou and Holly Capobianco opened Watertown Meat Center in 1983, and for more than 30 years it was a quiet Litchfield County secret. Then, in April 2016, Carmine and Jessica DiSapio came along.
Carmine grew up in the grocery business, working alongside his father at Pat’s IGA in Wolcott from the time he was 14. His wife Jessica was owner/ teacher of Ledgewood Private Preschool in Watertown, but the two shared a long-running joke about buying the Meat Center someday. When Carmine’s sister mentioned it offhandedly to the owner while shopping one afternoon, a phone number changed hands and the rest, as they say, is history.
“Ten years later we’re working side by side every day,” she says, “and I am still crazy about him. Most of the time.”
Now, Watertown Meat Center is expanding its reach with home delivery to Bantam Lake, Woodridge Lake, and Lake Waramaug, launching this season. Deliveries will run on Fridays, with insulated coolers left at a designated spot and swapped the following week. Orders can be placed through the store’s online portal. The service is designed with lake-house weekenders in mind, arriving with everything needed for a long weekend, no errands required. No lake house? The store in Watertown is worth the drive.
The store itself is just 4,800 square feet, but every inch is intentional. Since taking over, the couple has renovated nearly the entire space, most recently completing the back line of the store, including the deli, chicken, and fish cases. They expanded the refrigerated produce section and reconfigured floor displays to make the most of the space. Carmine’s passion is produce. Jessica’s is people, presentation, and they both are unwilling to cut corners.
All beef is Certified Angus. Fresh ground beef is made only from premium cuts. The full-service meat case lets customers choose exactly the steak they want, cut to whatever thickness they prefer. At Christmas, the store fulfills more than 600 custom meat orders. Fresh seafood comes from Tony’s Seafood, with salmon and store-stuffed shrimp among the consistent favorites.
The prepared foods department has become a destination of its own. Chicken Roll Ups, stuffed with combinations like cordon bleu or provolone and asparagus, go straight from the case to the oven. Homemade mashed potatoes come in traditional, garlic, and sweet potato varieties. Pot pies are made with chicken pulled from rotisserie-roasted breasts, not precooked shortcuts. Crockpot meals, heat-and-eat entrees, and a full selection of prepared vegetables round out a lineup designed for people who want a real dinner without the full effort. Seniors shop on Tuesdays for a ten percent discount, and the in-and-out ease of a smaller store makes it a natural fit.
The store supports local at every turn, carrying products from area farms, dairies, cheesemakers, honey producers, and coffee roasters. Nothing goes to waste. Surplus product near its code date goes directly to a volunteer network that feeds unhoused individuals and families transitioning off the streets. Orders and information at watertownmeatcenter.org
