Mamma Mia!
For nearly a century, New York's San Gennaro Festival has filled the streets of Little Italy every September with rowdy crowds, hot sausages and cannoli, and music.
What began in Naples, Italy, as a tribute to the southern Italian city's patron saint, was later started in 1926 by immigrants to the Big Apple who yearned for the garlic-colored sights, sounds, and pieces of their homeland.
In the modern era, it has become a massive, 10-day celebration of red sauce-filled “mangia.” With dozens of vendors, only a few have stood the test of time over the 98 years of this festival.
These are some of the festival’s most popular vendors and unique characters.
Ferrara Bakery, 98 years old
A major venue in this neighborhood, Ferrara was founded three decades before the first festival.
“We’ve been a part of this since the beginning, and at first we only sold coffee, cannoli and light desserts,” Anthony Sessa, a fifth-generation family member who currently serves as the bakery’s director of operations, told the Post.
These days, the sweet shop serves dozens of types of pastries and baked goods, from flaky sfogliatelle to juicy rum babas.
Eventually, they also got into the gelato business “and that, along with cannoli, is our two biggest sellers during the feast.”
Still, Sessa said the tradition has changed over the past century, including expanding in size and scope. “Years ago there were a lot fewer restrictions; I don't want to say it's more free-spirited, but it's slowly getting back to where it was before.”
E. Rossi & Co, 98 years
What started as a record store in 1910 eventually morphed into a beloved gift and trinket shop. These days, current owner Ernie Rossi's feasting presence outside his Little Italy storefront is known for a range of custom and novelty shirts that have recently caught themselves in the midst of a fashion trend (including Famous Daddy's Little Meatballs Costume,
“Ever since I was a little kid, I remember we would set up a table outside for feasts,” said Rossi, now 74.
“We tried to sell whatever we wanted in the store, but in the '70s we started making shirts,” he said, adding that his designs were copied all over the city from then on.
Still, he can't help but remember the wilder eras of San Gennaro, including the infamous “grease pole”: a telephone pole smeared with grease that people tried to climb, and received a prize if they reached the top. You probably couldn't do that today.”
As far as his business is concerned, There was speculation that it would succumb to the epidemic, Rossi is determined. “As long as God gives me the strength, I will continue,” he said. “This is my purpose in life. This is my home, I was born and raised here. So we have a plan to stay here and continue.”
Lucy's Sausage, 52 years old
“My grandmother started it from scratch, and her name was Lucy too,” Lucy Spata said.
Known for its famous sausage and peppers, the business has made Lucy's a staple of Italian festivals around the tristate area, including San Gennaro, for the past half century. (She even Named “Queen” of the Celebration (in 2022)
“We have to keep our traditions,” Spata says of her mission, marveling at how the festival used to be just a small block and only a garbage bucket filled with hot coals was needed. Today, she typically features about 10 booths during the feast, and in addition to sausages, she’s also known for her crispy fried zeppole and giant rice balls.
“I adore and love all of my customers,” Spata said, noting that she has served generations of families. “Some people tell me they ate my sausage when they were in their mother's belly, which makes me feel old. But it's a beautiful thing.”
Café Palermo, 51 years old
Everyone applauds the “Cannoli King,” also known as John “Baby John” Dellutro, a product of the festival and currently the owner of Café Palermo, named after his family’s Sicilian hometown.
“My grandmother and mother had the biggest fish shop in San Gennaro,” the 70-year-old says.
But when Dellutro was just 15, his mother tragically died in a car accident, and he vowed to carry on the family legacy after noticing the high demand for pastries in Little Italy, in addition to the aforementioned Ferrara.
With a $50 investment, no refrigeration (he used his grandmother’s fridge) and a simple table and chairs he found on the street, Delluttro launched Caffé Palermo, and the rest is ricotta-filled history.
“I work hard eight days a week, but I have a passion for it,” said Dellutro, who has turned his business into a cannoli empire that includes nationwide shipping, a popular cafe and an upcoming collaboration with the estate of the late singer Tony Bennett.
“It's very hard to achieve all this when you have nothing. And I came from nothing,” he said.
