Squash Raviolini in Brown Butter with Crispy Prosciutto

Ciao a tutti!! I eat pasta quite a lot, so I am always looking for new and fun things to do with it. When I tell people I have a few favorite pastas, they usually think I am strictly referring to the shape. But the truth is, there is so much more to pasta than the shape! Although, the shape has a lot to do with the flavor. Some just have that bite that I’m looking for, like my old friend orechiette! But, there are other times when I am going for something more classic, like ravioli. Or in this case, raviolini. Raviolis were my childhood favorite and I still absolutely love them. But, I don’t actually eat them that often. I like to have them once and a while to keep the memory special.

The raviolini I used in this recipe are made by La Piana which makes fantastic  pastas (for the times that I’m too tired to make homemade!) These are Squash Raviolini. I made them in a simple brown butter sauce with sage and to add a little extra kick…wait for it….some crispy prosciutto. That’s right…crispy prosciutto. Here’s the funny thing…whenever I have prosciutto around, there is always one or two slices left and I’m never sure what to do with it. It’s like a cookie, you can’t eat just one!! So, I hate to just eat it as is, because then I’ll be sad that I have no more. What I like to do is find a way to incorporate it into a dish that stretches it. I fry it and crumble it in little pieces over the pasta. 

You can use any type of pasta you want with this brown butter sauce and crispy prosciutto, but I love the combination of the slightly sweet, earthy flavor from the squash, the silky brown butter sauce and the smoky, crunchy prosciutto. It’s an amazing blend of flavors. Perfetto!

Squash Raviolini with Brown Butter and Crispy Prosciutto

The Pasta:

1 box of La Piana Butternut Squash Raviolini (or any type of pasta you like!)

Start by preparing a deep pot with water salt over high heat and cover the pot. While it is boiling, prepare the prosciutto and sauce…

The Prosciutto:

4 slices of prosciutto

1 tbsp. olive oil

Prepare a medium size pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it get hot. Add the prosciutto to the pan. Let it heat on one side for around 2-4 minutes and flip it and allow to cook for another 2-4 minutes. Take it out of the pan and let it sit. When it sites for a few minutes, it will really dry and crisp beautifully. In the same pan, you can now prepare the sauce…

  

The Sauce:

½ stick of butter

Sage (I find I only need a few small pieces since sage is strong)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Add the butter, sage, salt and pepper to the pan over medium heat and allow the butter to brown slightly.  

By now, the pasta water should be boiling, so you can add the ravioli. Cook until al dente, around 5 minutes. The will soften a little in the sauce. Strain the pasta and add to the brown butter sauce. Now, using your hands, crumble the prosciutto over the pasta and very lightly toss. Buon Appetito!! 

Chef Chat: Gina Rotundo, co-owner of Alloro in NYC

I've lived in New York City my whole life. There's an Italian restaurant every three blocks. Pasta. Chicken Parmigiana. Red and white checkered table cloths. Maybe a wine bottle on the table for decoration. Standard fare. What's so hard to find these days is an authentic Italian restaurant and even more than that, an authentic Italian restaurant adding their own unique twist. And that's exactly what Alloro has successfully been doing since they opened in June, 2008. I had the chance to sit down with the lovely Gina Rotundo, co-owner of Alloro (along with Chef Salvarote Corea, her husband) and talk about the restaurant.

Owning a restaurant is a full time job. On top of that, your husband is the head chef and you have kids. How do you manage?

I am a woman.  I will say unequivocally, my family comes first. Women typically define themselves first through their family and secondly through their work and I am typical. Salvatore and I are full on partners, so he and I support each other both here at Alloro and at home. Also, Alloro is a chef’s restaurant; guests are here for the food.

When we first opened, our regulars were happy to see both of us. But, my children were younger then and didn’t need me as much as they do now. When I do work here at the restaurant, it is at night. That means I am still with our girls all day. I’ve always chosen, and will always choose a lifestyle that allows me to be a stay at home mom. My first job is Stay at Home Mother, and then Alloro is what I do to earn an income.

Homemade Fettuccine in white veal sauce
Courtesy of Michael Radassao Photography 

I oversee the marketing of Alloro, the organizing of events, and the booking of private parties. I can do all of this from home while the girls sleep. That’s how I create the balance; it’s not too bad. The restaurant business involves a lot of hours, but I’d say Salvatore feels the brunt of the restaurant hours.

Living close is also helpful. When Salvatore worked downtown, he wasn’t around for the kids as much, but now he comes home in the afternoon, he’s there in the morning to see them off to school, he comes home between lunch and dinners. He does all of his prep early in the morning when the kids are in school, then he comes home in the afternoon when they get home. So, we’ve figured out a way to carve that normalcy of a family life.

We’ve dedicated every Sunday to “Family Day” so 99% of the time we don’t work. Of course, tomorrow’s Easter so that’s an exception. However, we first come here and eat with our family. The kids really like being the owners of this restaurant.  They like tasting all of the new food. They are our internal litmus test. If they like something, we know it’s going to sell. My oldest daughter Giada is never wrong about something! If she says that something is mediocre, it’s not going to be our biggest seller. She and her sister both have sophisticated palates.  

There are hundreds of Italian restaurants in NYC. What do you hope makes Alloro stand out from the others?

Firstly, Alloro is a family run business. We set out to make it different in a few ways – It is family-run, small and creative.  Salvatore puts a spin on classic Italian dishes. Our idea, especially in this neighborhood, with lots of Italian restaurants, is that our menu is completely different from anybody else’s menu. Alloro is a destination place.  

Salvatore also doesn’t cut any corners in the kitchen. He uses high quality olive oil, tomatoes, balsamic – you name it. All of the pasta is homemade; all of the ingredients are fresh. We get deliveries on a daily basis, hope to run out by the end of the night and get it fresh the next day.

With the menu design, he tries to achieve portions that are appropriate so that you can eat 3 or 4 courses and not feel like someone has to roll you home, which is often the way you feel after eating Italian.  

Chef Salvatore and his crew
Courtesy of Michael Radassao Photography 

Food can transport me to another time and make me remember something wonderful. I am always talking about my Nonna's fried cauliflower and what beautiful memories I have of her making it for me. What are some of your favorite food memories?

Growing up in an Italian-American family of immigrants, always meant Sundays were about food and about getting around the table, so that stands out as a memory especially because I see it disappearing and that saddens me. I always make a point of sitting down with my kids and we all eat the same food. A lot of the moms I know are always on a diet, so they're feeding their kids something delicious and healthy and they're not eating anything and not setting an example themselves, which is kind of weird and hypocritical at best, so I don't do that. I always make sure we're always eating together and enjoying the same food. 

I guess my first memories would be my great grandmother's house. She always wore her hair in a bun, I remember the first time I saw her really, really long hair. It was almost to the floor, but it had always been in a bun. She spent so much time cooking, I saw the same thing in my mother, my grandparent's...grandmothers, because the men didn't cook at the time. But an interesting thing happened when I reached the age that my mother thought I should start learning to cook; I couldn't get out of the house fast enough! I wanted no part of it. It seemed like an enslavement to me. I've always enjoyed cooking from the other side, from the receiving end. I don't like cooking; I don't interfere with Salvatore's kitchen; I go nowhere near it. When I prepare meals for my kids, that's what it is- a simple preparation of food, nothing more. 

Another fond food memory....my roommate in Rome was trying to set me up on a date with Salvatore. I said "No more Italian guys, they're all mamas' boys." She said, "But this guy lives by himself, he cooks, he's a chef and it's amazing." And I said "Well then, maybe he's gay." She convinced me he wasn't gay but was an exception to the rule and that I should at least give it a shot. I agreed. The first time she took me to the place he was cooking, he made me straccetti with arugula and parmigiana, which us a very straightforward dish, but it was perfect! The balance of flavors...everything...it was the best I'd ever eaten. And he gave me an enormous portion because he's from the south and you pour out your love with food and the bigger the portion, the bigger the love. 

Then, meeting his family was all about food, because we went down south to meet his family whom welcomed us with a huge lunch. I had never in my life eaten spicy food, ever. I was raised to behave in someone else's house. This meant you eat what's put in front of you, you eat it all and give lots of compliments. Well...I thought I was going to die, it was so spicy! I finished my plate and his mother said "una bouna fochetta"- she's got a good appetite!! And she gave me a whole other portion and I thought I would die again, but I've loved spicy food ever since. It was a blessing in disguise, because she got me turned onto the spice and the food of southern Italy, Calabria in particular, which is where Salvatore is from. And, just seeing that passion-they harvest their own grapes and olives and tomatoes; they make all of their own stuff. All of my food experiences are fantastic, from the receiving end. 

For someone coming to Alloro for the first time, what would you recommend they order?

Lamb, herb cous cous, laurel reduction
Photo by Michael Radassao

One of the things that stays on every single menu is Salvatore’s eggplant…it’s fantastic. It’s simple, it’s his mothers red sauce recipe, it is the best eggplant parmigiana you will ever eat and that’s just a classic dish. So, that’s my first recommendation if you’ve never been here before. The other thing I recommend is to not skip the pastas. Pasta is  his forte - the boy can cook pasta! They’re all homemade, and the recipes are just incredible. A nice bottle of wine…his food has to be paired with wine.  I would say, look at the menu, the way it’s set up and realize it lends itself to eating Italian style. Start with a glass of prosecco, get an appetizer, his soups are also amazing. He has a different one on each menu. You get an appetizer, a half order of pasta, an entrée and then save room for dessert, this way you taste a little bit of everything. That’s always my recommendation – eat like an Italian!

People think of Italian food as just “Italian food”, not realizing that there are many different regions and regional specialties. Is your menu a combination or do you try to showcase a specific region? 

That’s a good question. My husband was telling me that somebody recently said people don’t realize the wealth that there is in Italy in terms of ingredients.

We don’t highlight a particular region; he’s basically all over the map. People will ask if it’s more northern or southern, they don’t know. But we don’t do the regional thing. He takes his inspiration from all over and he likes to celebrate the richness that Italy has to offer. It’s not just tomatoes. It’s not just pasta. It’s everything. And you see that in his menus.

Are any of the recipes from your restaurant family recipes? And if so, who are they from? 

Summer Panna Cotta
Photo by Michael Radassao

Like any good Italian boy, when people ask him who his first teacher was, he will tell you of course it was his mother. So a lot of the recipes come from or at least have been inspired by his mother’s cooking, especially the eggplant. The red sauce he makes is identical. It’s always the basic stuff, the staples and the staple of any kitchen is a good red sauce. My kids eat it with a spoon, like soup.

What do you want your guests to take away from dining at Alloro?

We set out to open a place that was an extension of our home, so we want them to feel like they’ve come to a great dinner party, like, we went to Gina and Sal’s and it was fantastic and that they had a culinary experience. We want them to enjoy something that they couldn’t necessarily replicate themselves. I say to people all the time, every Italian restaurant you go to, you get the same exact food and it’s stuff you can make at home, really what’s the sense? It’s like going to a movie theatre and they pop up a big screen TV, you paid for the movie, right?  You paid for the big screen. And here, we expect that people pay for the experience. It’s not just a meal, it’s an experience.

Be sure to stop by Alloro and say ciao on facebook! And if you like the beautiful pictures you've seen here, you can contact Michael Radassao. 

Mocha Fudge Brownie Pie in a Whole Wheat Crust

Who doesn’t love pie? No one raised their hands, right?!?! I didn’t think so!  The other night, I really wanted a piece of pie. But…I also really wanted a brownie. What to do? Well..Brownie Pie of course!! But not just any brownie pie, I’m talking about my Mocha Fudge Brownie Pie in a Homemade Whole Wheat Crust. I know it seems funny to make the crust whole wheat given that I’m making a very intense brownie filling, but as I’ve said in the past, I try to make healthy alternatives where I can, so every little bit counts. 

This brownie filling is insane…it’s fudgy, rich, chocolaty and incredible. If you bake it the right way, the inside is creamy, like a baked pudding and the top is set, just the way I like it. You can easily make the same crust using all purpose flour; it’s a very basic crust, it’s not sweet, but trust me, you don’t want it to be because the filling is sweet enough!! I also make the crust using my Vitamix, but you can certainly use another food processor or pastry blender. The crunch from the crust is a great contrast to the creaminess of the brownie. If you love chocolate and you love pie, this is the dessert for you!! Enjoy!!

Mocha Fudge Brownie Pie in a Whole Wheat Crust

Whole Wheat Crust

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ tsp. sea salt

1/3 cup butter

5 tbsp. cold water

Place flour, sea salt and butter in food processor. Blend until butter is cut throughout the flour and the mix almost looks like crumbs. Slowly add the water until the dough forms a ball. If it doesn’t form a ball, you may not to add a little more water, eyeball it. Roll out your dough on a floured surface. Place your pie pan or tin on top of the crust and carefully flip it over. If there is dough hanging off the sides of the pan, I like to fold it over and crimp it. Poke little holes in the crust with a fork, you don’t want the pie to puff. Bake in the oven on 350 degrees for ten minutes and then take it out of the oven. Let it set. You can now prepare the filling…

Mocha Fudge Brownie

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 ounces milk chocolate

4 ounces dark chocolate

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

3 tbsp. espresso powder

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter slowly in a bowl over simmering water. Add all of the chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, espresso powder and vanilla until light and fluffy, around 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mix into the batter until combined. Pour in the pie shell and bake for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven. You will want to top to set, but it is okay if the inside is soft, you want it that way!!! Once the pie is done, take out of the oven and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Slice and enjoy with a dollop of homemade whipped cream! Buon Appetito!!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ahh, eggplant, the things you do to me. I love to cook with eggplant, it’s so versatile. I can just grill some with a drizzle of olive oil and pepper, puree it with some garlic, fry it, the possibilities are endless. Plus, I love to sneak some eggplant into meatballs or burger, it adds great texture and taste and saves some calories!! Now of course, there is the classic Italian dish…Eggplant Parmigiana. Not parmesan, PARMIGIANA!!! 

I absolutely love eggplant parmigiana, it’s just….it’s so good, that is, only if it’s made well. I find that it is easy to make a bad eggplant parmigiana, it can be too salty and the eggplant can get so mushy, you don’t even have a clear sense of what you’re really eating. There has to be a perfect balance, not too mushy, not too crispy, not so much sauce that it’s drowning in it and not so much cheese that it’s overpowering. It’s all about balance. I find that my recipe is just right. If you like more cheese and sauce, by all means, add it!! You should make it the way you like it!! But, I promise you, if you try my version, you’ll never go back to the over-sauced, over-cheesed version!!

Eggplant Parmigiana

1 very large eggplant

1 cup of flour (you may need to eyeball it just to be safe)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 eggs, beaten

10 ounces tomato sauce (recipe below)

3 ounces mozzarella

3 ounces parmigiana

2 tbsp. olive oil

Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 cups chopped tomato (I always use San Marzano)

Handful of fresh basil

For the tomato sauce:

Heat a small pot over medium heat and add 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped garlic. Allow the garlic to roast a little, around 6 minutes. Add the onion powder and mix. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for around 10 minutes. Add a handful of chopped basil and turn the heat to low and cook for another 25 minutes. In the meantime, you can begin the eggplant preparation…

For the eggplant:

Prepare a deep pan with 4 tbsp. olive oil and put over medium heat. Clean the eggplant and cut into very thin slices. Add flour to a flat, shallow bowl and add salt and pepper. Dip the slices in a little flour and then the beaten eggs. Fry in the hot oil for around 3 minutes each side; be careful that they don’t burn. When they look done, drain and dry on a wire rack. Finish frying all of the eggplant.

Get out a casserole or lasagna dish and pour a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Then, add a layer of eggplant slices. Sprinkle a little parmigiana on top, pour a little more sauce, a little parmgiana and another layer of eggplant, and continue in this order until you’re finished with all of the ingredients, but the layer has to be of the eggplant!! Top the final layer with tomato sauce, a sprinkle of parmigiana and the mozzarella. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the top has become a beautiful golden brown. When it appears to be done, take it out and let it cool and set for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve immediately! Buon Appetito!!

Mushroom Ragu

Ciao a tutti!! I love a really hearty ragu. Something rich, intense and meaty. But sometimes, I don’t actually feel like eating meat. I know, shocking right? It’s true. The fact is, I used to be a vegetarian and even though I do eat meat now (and I absolutely love it!) I don’t eat it that often. I probably have it a couple of times a week. This Mushroom Ragu is so amazing; you will not even miss the meat. I promise. In fact, I first made this sauce for my family and my brother (a big meat fan) said he couldn’t believe how incredible the sauce was. He didn’t need the meat! The mushrooms get nice and tender and all of the herbs add a wonderful depth of flavor, trust me. You will fall in love with this ragu. I served it over fresh tortellini, but of course you can serve it over whatever pasta you want, you could also serve it over polenta for something a little different.

Mushroom Ragu

2 ½ pounds fresh mixed mushrooms

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh sage

¼ cup olive oil

4 tbsp. butter

2 cups of shallots, finely chopped

½ tsp. salt

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 cup dry Marsala

Black pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

Put the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the shallots and ¼ tsp. salt, stir well. Cook until they’re shiny and wilted, but don’t let them brown!

Pour all of the mushrooms into the pan and toss them. Sprinkle another ¼ tsp. salt, drop in all of the herbs, raise the heat a little and cover the pan. Cook covered for about 3 minutes. 

Uncover and continue to cook over faily high heat, stirring for around 5 minutes. When the pan is dry and the mushrooms begin to brown, drop in the tomato paste and mix it in with the mushrooms.

When everythign is sizzling, pour the Marsala all over. Stir as the wine thickens and evaporates. Pour in 4 cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes, occassionally stirring and adding stock to keep the mushrooms covered in liquid.

Uncover the pan and cook for another 20 minutes and adding stock as needed. When the mushrooms and tender and sauce is relatively thick, take the herbs out. Serve over some nice fresh pasta. Buon Appetito!!

Chocolate Cake with Espresso Glaze

Sometimes life just calls for a big slice of rich and fudgy chocolate cake..right? We’ll the other day I got a real craving for it; I mean…I got it bad. So, what to do? Well, make some cake of course!

This is a simple and classic chocolate cake. The secret is that it is made with sour cream to keep it nice and moist and instead of making it with boiling water; I make mine with brewed espresso which adds a real depth of flavor. The cake is then topped with an espresso glaze. I mean, chocolate and espresso, does it get any better than that? Enjoy! 

Chocolate Cake

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus 1 teaspoon melted)

1 cup plus 1 tsp. cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup of brewed espresso

½ cup sour cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 ounces of chocolate in the microwave on 30 second intervals, until smooth and melted.

Lightly coat a 9 by 1 ½ inch cake pan with the 1 teaspoon melted butter and flour with 1 tsp. cake flour. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a sifter. Sift into a bowl and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar and butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low for 2 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for another 2 minutes. Add your eggs, one at a time and beat for two minutes. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Beat for 30 seconds.

Slowly add the flour and sour cream into the chocolate/egg mix. Mix for 30 seconds and add the brewed espresso. Mix for another 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Allow it to cool for at least an hour before adding the espresso glaze….

Espresso Glaze

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tbsp. espresso powder

4 tsp. hot water

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa in a small bowl. Dissolve the espresso powder in hot water, add to the sugar mix and stir until blended. Pour over the entire cake once it has cooled. It should flow over the entire cake, but feel free to use a spatula to spread it over the cake and allow it to drip a little over the sides. Enjoy!

Capogiro Gelato: Chef Chat with owner Stephanie Reitano

Cioccolata Scurro and Burnt Sugar

Ciao a tutti!! I think I have made my love for gelato pretty clear, so when I first heard about Capogiro Gelato in Philadelphia, I knew I had to get there someday and lucky for me, this past week I got there!! Not only did I get to have the best gelato I’ve had since Italy, I also had the chance to interview Stephanie Reitano (co owner, along with her husband John Reitano)



The lovely Stephanie Reitano

I have to tell you…this was real deal gelato. Smooth, creamy, rich, velvety and pure. One of the signs to tell if gelato (or ice cream for that matter) is better quality is how quickly it melts. When it melts quickly, that means it is made with a lot of air. I had my gelato each time for a good 25 minutes and there was no sign of melting.

I was in Philadelphia for a week, so I took the opportunity to try as many flavors as possible. One of the things that will strike you about Capogiro are the unusual flavors that they offer, like Cranberry and Heirloom Apple, Thai Coconut Milk, Chestnut and so much more. 

One day I went with a double scoop of Cioccolata Scuro. The Cioccolata Scurro tasted exactly like a flavor I had in Ischia that I have been on the lookout for, but alas, no one in the states seemed to offer a flavor like this….until Capogiro. It’s an intense, deep, chocolate gelato. It’s practically black. It was incredible. Over the next few days I also tried the Burnt Sugar, Pecan, Cashew, Sea Salt, Pistachio Siciliano and Cappuccino Stracciatella. All of these flavors were exceptional, I mean it. One of my favorite flavors is Pistachio but a big pet peeve of mine is that half the time pistachio flavors are made with almond extract, not the one at Capogiro. This gelato is made with the best pistachios for Sicily and you can taste it. So please….take a look at my interview with the lovely Stephanie Reitano and get to Capogiro as quickly as possible to experience bliss!

What inspired you to start Capogiro?



Cashew and Sea Salt

In September 2001, John and I went to Italy, our first vacation minus our three children. Needless to say, we were dizzy with possibilities due o all this sudden free time. After landing in Rome, we immediately hopped a train to Naples, then a boat to the island of Capri. While on our way to the hotel, we crossed La Pizzetta, the square at the heart of Capri and stumbled upon Buonocuore, a little gelato shop with a walk up window. In a warm handrolled cone made to order, I chose nocciola (hazelnut) and gianduia (chocolate hazelnut). In a way, that very cone led us to the next part of our marriage. Right then and there, John and I began our business by wondering why we could not find this flavor and this quality in the USA. After all, Cappuccino is here, so why not gelato? Creating that possibility became our mission. 

Did you have a favorite gelato flavor as a child and has it since changed? 

Gelato was not around when I was a child. My favorite ice cream flavor was Toasted Almond from a place called Hoffmann's. I have not changed much, as nut flavors are my favorite. Nocciola, Bacio and Pistacchio are my favorite gelato flours. I love sour sorbetto flavors. 

What makes your gelato stand out from the rest? 

Our ingredients. I am not a professionally trained chef, so when I started making gelato I used the same attention to quality ingredients as though I were cooking for my children. We are lucky to live in Philadelphia with access to some of the country's finest growing land. Not only is the soil fertile, the traditions are rich with much of the farming done by Amish and Mennonite families who have worked the same way for generations. Certified organic will never beat traditional organic when farmers livelihoods are a result of the way they choose to live. We use milk from a closed herd of grass-fed Scottish Ayrshire cows located 50 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Adhering to the rules of "artigianale", as defined by Italians, dictates that everything must be made in-house, the base as well as flavorings. There are no allowable shortcuts. If you want almond gelato, you have to roast and grind quality almonds to create the paste necessary for flavoring. Nor can anything be outsourced. Even if it is a Capogiro recipe, it sill must be made with Capogiro hands to qualify. 

Any favorite or special memories that involve gelato?

My first gelato in Capri. 

What are some of your more unique flavors and where do you get the inspiration for them?

I get inspiration from traveling, my kids, farmers, specialty cocktails...everywhere. Unique flavors are Rosemary Goat's Milk, Honey Cumin, Lime Cilantro, Mangosteen, Mamey Sapote, Salted Bitter Almond....

Pistachio Siciliano and Cappuccino Stracciatella

Where did you learn to make gelato?

I trained in Italy, with Italians here in the states, and with a French pastry chef. 

After going to Capogiro a few days in a row and seeing that you offer different flavors everyday, how do you decide which flavors to serve daily?

We make certain flavors every day at every cafe. Pistacchio, Nocciola, Thai Coconut  Milk, Scuro, Fior di Latte..etc. These are our core flavors that must be made and are available year round. Everything else depends on what is available seasonally and how ripe it happens to be. Additionally, certain stores have favorites.  Our employees drink the Capo Kool Aid, so if they request chocolate peanut butter (a staff fave), the kitchen obliges. This applies to certain regulars.  We like to keep our peeps happy. 

Any plans to open a Capogiro in the New York City area?

We would love to open in the New York City area. We ship a lot of gelato to NYC and we got a ton of compliments from that geographic area, as well as requests to open. It is definitely on our radar once we open up out of our current market.