NEW YORK — Wegmans made its New York City debut with the opening last month of a 74,000-square-foot store in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard.

At the opening, the crowd included self-identified “Wegmaniacs” from the retailer’s hometown of Rochester, N.Y., as well as Brooklynites eager to find out what the fuss was about.

Store manager Kevin Cuff described the opening as a dream come true. “We give our best to the customer every single time. Not just in the morning, not just on a good day. We want to be the best in the business when it comes to putting the customer first.”

The store employs 540 people, including a culinary staff of 157 led by executive chef Stephen De Lucia.

The Brooklyn location offers nearly 50,000 items in all, more than 2,000 of which are organic.

There’s an extensive selection of prepared food — including everything from sushi to pizza to Buffalo wings — and staffed counters offering meat, cheese, baked goods and deli items.

Other features include a cookie station, a coffee station, a salad bar, and a burger bar where shoppers who don’t care for beef can order lobster rolls, crab cakes or chicken sandwiches ­instead.

The store, the chain’s 101st, also has a mezzanine-level Market Café seating area with space for nearly 100. It includes a bar serving wine, beer, cocktails and snacks.