![\"San](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/SJM-L-SANDWICH-0305-3.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")
The Lincoln Avenue legend was known for his spirited community involvement and for making thousands of his signature Chris Combo sandwiches over the years for South Bay customers, including the San Jose Sharks and San Francisco 49ers teams. He died this week at age 47.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is with profound sadness that we share with you the sudden passing of our beloved son, father, husband and great friend,\u201d reads the family note posted on the deli door Thursday, above the overflowing display of flowers brought by customers. \u201cWe appreciate the support of the entire community and ask for your continued support and privacy during this most difficult of times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow Glen merchants and longtime customers have been reeling ever since, with many sharing memories on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe news broke my heart,\u201d said Janie Koumoutsakis, a customer for 50 years. \u201cI watched Chris grow from a young boy helping his Dad to a man with his own family.\u201d She said he was an entrepreneur who always appreciated the longevity of her family\u2019s patronage.<\/p>\n
\u201cLa Villa has always been a part of my life,\u201d Pam Caselli Oliverio wrote, \u201cfrom my mother bringing me there the day it opened, to countless family dinners and celebrations, to shipping ravs and sauce 3,000 miles to our daughter. \u2026 We are all at a loss for words. He will be truly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a shock to this entire community,\u201d the Mann\u2019s Jewelers staff wrote on social media. \u201cWhat Chris has done for Willow Glen is obvious in all of these messages. He truly was a celebrity and the star of Lincoln Avenue.\u201d<\/p>\n Others who had moved away from the Bay Area wrote of visiting La Villa and Bertucelli packing up boxes of ravioli and sauce for their trips back home.<\/p>\n The Bertucelli family, the longtime owners of this deli, are locally famous for two things: their ravioli with its tender dough and the secret-ingredient Chris Combo.<\/p>\n The sandwich that Chris Bertucelli invented back when he was a teenager has become famous with both the National Hockey League and the National Football League. How so? La Villa often feeds the San Jose Sharks and the San Francisco 49ers \u2014 plus the teams that come to the South Bay to compete against them. Among the deli\u2019s biggest fans are former Sharks Mike Ricci, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture.<\/p>\n The ingredients that make up the Chris Combo are secret, but those who love the sandwich can confirm that it\u2019s a melty amalgamation of a couple of meats, a couple of cheeses and a sprinkling of Italian spices, all heated up on a soft roll.<\/p>\n Details about Bertucelli\u2019s death and memorial plans have not been publicly announced by the family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chris Bertucelli made friends faster than you can stack salami on a roll. For years, customers have known the drill at his family\u2019s popular Italian deli, La… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":157684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"San](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SJM-RESTOOPEN-0615-1.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")