L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 11 Italian Sweetness Lost to Developers Another mainstay of Italian culture has succumbed to the tentacles of realty developers in New York City. De Robertis, an Italian pasticceria and café, for nearly 110 years, has closed p e r m a n e n t l y . D e R o b e r t i s P a s t r y S h o p p e , w h e r e N e w York Yankee's Shortstop, Phil Rizzuto once declared on a tele- vision broadcast, "De Robertis makes the best cannoli", was m a d e a n o f f e r t h a t t h e s h o p could not refuse. According to local reports, the family agreed to sell the building where they operated their business for "12 million dollars." The cozy and quaint, m o m - a n d - p o p p a s t r y c a f é , located in Manhattan's Lower E a s t S i d e ( o r E a s t V i l l a g e d e p e n d i n g o n w h o y o u t a l k with) was a favorite spot for m a n y t h r o u g h o u t N e w Y o r k City and even New Jersey resi- dents. A one-time resident of the neighborhood who now lives in New Jersey, revealed "My wife and I decided to do something different during our date nights a few years ago, and I thought I wanted to reconnect with my community and show my wife were I grew up, and of course D e R o b e r t i s w a s o n e o f o u r stops." He went on to say, "My childhood memories are slowly fading away, like so many other people in the city." John De Robertis, the grand- son of Paolo De Robertis (an immigrant from Puglia) who opened the pasticceria in 1904, "Cited the economy, age, and health concerns in the family's d e c i s i o n t o s e l l t h e b u i l d - ing." Once the sale of the icon- ic pasticceria was announced, m a n y v i a s o c i a l m e d i a e x p r e s s e d t h e i r s u r p r i s e a n d heartache. S o m e e v e n u s e d s a r d o n i c humor by indicating, "The De Robertis family had 12 million reasons to leave the neighbor- hood…they sold out to preying vultures." A week later the post was deleted. Nonetheless, local as well as outside residents, some of whom traveled from afar, to have an espresso or cap- puccino and indulge in the pas- t i c c e r i a ' s d e l i c i o u s c a n n o l i , s f o g l i a t e l l e , b a b à, n a p o l e o n and/or the assortment of cookies that were always showcased. Family owned businesses in Manhattan are becoming more obsolete from rapacious realty investors whose sole impetus is t o i n c r e a s e t h e i r p r o f i t margins. Many believe, howev- er, that supermarket chains such a s W h o l e F o o d s , F o o d Emporiums and Trader Joe's, are an inevitable outcome and p a r t o f t h e r e v i t a l i z a t i o n o f urban neighborhoods through- out the United States. Furthermore, proponents for gentrification all agree that the reason why there is pushback from some is because they are afraid of change. Why are we not celebrating and embracing the fact that with large compa- n i e s l i k e W h o l e F o o d s a n d Trader Joe's offering a wider selection of imported goods, m a n y m o r e c u s t o m e r s a r e exposed to the same food that our great-grandparents/grand- p a r e n t s c o o k e d i n t h e i r kitchens? Moreover, many of the larger food chains sell a variety of products in one location. As a consequence, the pastry section at some of these supermarket c h a i n s a l l o w a c u s t o m e r t o s e l e c t f r o m a w i d e r a n g e o f multi-ethnic pastries like, can- noli, or a macaroon, or flan, cre- ating a fusion of items for the potential buyer to choose rather than travel to smaller ethnic businesses that specialize in a particular dessert. C o n v e r s e l y , m a n y o f t h e mom-and-pop stores treat their p a t r o n s m o r e l i k e f a m i l y , addressing them by their first names, as opposed to the aus- tere service from workers in food chain stores, who are usu- a l l y s t o i c i n d i v i d u a l s w i t h robotic twangs, "may I help the next customer." The supermar- ALFONSO GUERRIERO, JR. ket atmosphere is more like an assembly line at a factory, than an inviting business establish- ment that welcomes its cus- tomers. S e v e r a l p a t r o n s w a l k i n g under the scaffolding façade of the now defunct pastry shop c o m p l a i n e d a b o u t t h e c o l d treatment they experience while walking in large supermarkets t h a t h a v e t a k e n o v e r t h e i r neighborhoods. Paul Candiotti, a o n e t i m e r e s i d e n t w h o f r e - quented the family owned busi- ness, also concurred, "Many of the artisan coffee shops, serv- ing mini-frittatas on an English muffin and flavored coffee are trying to capture the essence of the Old Italian family owned p a s t r y / c o f f e e s h o p s , b u t a r e missing the mark." Another long-time customer lamented, "I just want my pas- try shop back. I do not want to go through crowds of people; just to get an espresso or buy a s f o g l i a t e l l e . W h i l e a n o t h e r individual overhearing our con- versation immediately interject- ed and exclaimed, "Some stores don't even know what a sfogli- a t e l l e i s . " H e w e n t o n t o e x p l a i n , " I r e c e n t l y w e n t t o E a t a l y , t h e f a m o u s I t a l i a n Gourmet Food store, co-owned by Mario Batali, and asked for a sfogliatelle, the worker asked, what's that?" N e v e r t h e l e s s , w h a t i s i t exactly that makes us mourn the loss of a pastry café? Is it the disdain that some of us have toward large food conglomer- ates? Or is it more about nostal- gia and not wanting to let go of our memories because it offers comfort? Perhaps De Robertis not only meant a great deal to local as well as outside cus- tomers, but it served as a living relic of the past. When customers entered the pastry store, the typical Italian d é c o r m a d e t h e p a s t i c c e r i a appear warm and comfy, with h a n d - c u t m o s a i c t i l e s t h a t extended to the walls in the b a c k o f t h e s e a t i n g s e c t i o n . Across the counter and above a long mirror, customers would see their reflections on both sides, and were able to view autograph pictures of Italian American actors on the wall as w e l l a s o t h e r w e l l - k n o w n c e l e b r i t i e s w h o s u p p o s e d l y tried their delicious delights. The pastry café's interior design was a time warp of the Old Italian pastry shops of the early twentieth century. Patrons w o u l d b e w e l c o m e d b y t h e aroma of espresso and scrump- tious sweets, while sometimes overhearing an Italian dialect b e i n g s p o k e n . I n f a c t , i t i s where Spike Lee filmed a scene o f M a l c o l m X , a n d W o o d y A l l e n s h o t a s c e n e f o r Manhattan Murder Mystery. As popular and famous as De Robertis became, it could no longer operate and be suc- cessful as before. This narrative i s e n d e m i c w i t h m o s t m o m - and-pop shops that symbolized a time in New York City when neighborhoods were defined by the cultural identity and history of a particular ethnic group. Today, however, the charm and character built by the blood, sweet, and tears of small busi- ness owners are forever being r e p l a c e d b y b i g g e r a n d l e s s welcoming conglomerates, cre- ating a clash between genera- tions that remains bittersweet. De Robertis, an Italian pasticceria and cafè for nearly 110 years, has closed permanently J o h n D e R o b e r t i s J r . b e h i n d t h e pastry counter

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