‘Willow Glen has lost part of its soul’ with deli owner Chris Bertucelli’s sudden death

Chris Bertucelli’s warm welcome and gracious smile made every customer feel like a friend. His sudden death last week at 47 shocked the tight-knit Willow Glen neighborhood.

Bertucelli, co-owner of Bertucelli’s La Villa, a gourmet Italian delicatessen famed for its ravioli and lasagna, was known for lending a hand and never saying no. Jill Maggi, owner of Gal in the Glen and Sprouted Twig, said its unfathomable to imagine that one of Willow Glen’s best is gone.