Centereach resident Niese Selmete often cooks dishes that are popular in her family’s native country, the Philippines, and Jamaica, from which her husband hails.

The recent opening of a Gala Foods Supermarket in Centereach has made it easier and quicker for her to locate international ingredients, she said. The Hispanic-format store, which carries a wide variety of foods popular in Caribbean and Latin American countries, is among a growing number of ethnic supermarkets on Long Island and nationwide.

"From other stores, I find it very hard to find the meats that I need to cook and the [other] items that I needed, but I can find it over here [at Gala Foods]. It’s closer. It’s cheaper," said Selmete, 23, who buys goat shoulders, oxtails, chicken thighs, pork bellies and other items at the n

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