I went to La Gioia to pick up subs and came home with a grocery bag filled with meals for several days. Here’s what happened. La Gioia Italian Deli, on Van Vranken Avenue in the Goose Hill neighborhood of Schenectady, is a gem.

Woman-owned by Anna DiCocco and Modesto DiCarlo, and opened in 1989, it has everything you’d want in an Italian deli. There are olives, fresh cheeses, Boar’s Head provisions, homemade Italian food, imported Italian products and bread from local bakeries.