 Tanya's Scoop Covering the West Coast & the World CURRENTLY IN: RENO, NEVADA |  Elisa's Scoop Covering Long Island & NYC Boroughs CURRENTLY IN: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK |
| Hello out there and Greetings from Reno... The Biggest Little City in the World!  Waiting to board our flight (c)travelincousins.com Yesterday had a weird schedule to say the least. I got home at 6:30AM and although I was fairly awake, not seeming tired, I was also yet just not quite myself. Off to the airport we went...and here is the FaceBook post I left while we were on our way: "Arrived home at 6:30a this morning. Heading to LAX now. Forgot where I was going. But I know I have a flight to “somewhere” to catch!" It's sad but true. Sometimes I really just don't know where I am or where I am going. These moments don't really last all that long but it's quite funny and I feel like an idiot when they do.  Masked and in our seats (c)travelincousins.com Off to Reno we went...  In Reno once again (c)travelincousins.com We met up with Cosette's boyfriend Javier, who met us at the airport after flying in from Seattle. The event was for Javier's nephew's communion. Which is today. Since we were all quite a bit starving, our first stop after picking up our rental was heading to Great Full Gardens Cafe. So did I mention that we were all starving? I was lucky to remember to take a picture of our soup, because after that we just dug in and then all of a sudden the plates were kinda messy and definitely not picture worthy.  Aztec Soup from Great Full Gardens Cafe (c)travelincousins.com Since we were in Reno, it was calling out for me to drive the strip and capture the bright lights in the little city.  Reno at night (c)travelincousins.com  The Biggest Little City in the World (c)travelincousins.com We also had some grocery shopping in order to stock up on some essentials that we'll use to get by on over the next for days. It was after 10PM and I was certainly ready to hit the hay, so we took Javier to his sister's place and after hanging out longer than I had expected we finally made our way to our resort to check in and for me to check out. On that note, I'm gonna check out for the day and catch you back here on Monday for more of our Scoop. Tootles, -Travelin' Tanya | Hey there!! Have I mentioned to you in the past few days how much I'm loving the weather?! Sunny; not to hot; breezy: and dry! Great hair weather too! Last night, I went into Garden City to "Piazza di Seventh Street" for their weekend outdoor dining. It was more than lovely! I had hoped that the kids would want to come with me, but neither of them were in the mood, so I just went myself. As it turned out, I met up with my friend Andrea, and we wound up shooting the breeze for about an hour, which made my evening! Moving right along... If you remember, a few weeks back - three, to be exact - I spent the afternoon in The Bronx on Arthur Avenue/Little Italy to meet up with a number of the local merchants for some upcoming stories. One of these get togethers included a visit to Gino's Pastry Shop to chat with owner Jerome about his experience through the Covid-19 pandemic, quarantine, subsequent reopening and his latest pastry phenomenon, the "Donnoli." Not only was I treated most graciously by Jerome and Giovanna (who by the way, has a reputation for making the best cappuccinos!), as they extended their valuable time to sit down and talk with me, but, I also had the pleasure of trying his sensational Donolis! Today, I'm thrilled to bring you the full Scoop about our meeting!! (Warning - you may drool!) The "Donnoli" - The Original Cannoli Cream Filled Doughnut from Gino's Pastry Shop A Favorite of Bronx-Born Celebrity Chazz Palminteri  The Original "Donoli" from Gino's Pastry Shop in The Bronx Little Italy (c) travelincousins.com Among its many treasured merchants, Bronx Little Italy is home to Gino’s Pastry Shop, a beloved fixture in the neighborhood since 1960. Highly regarded for, among other things, creative wedding cakes and Italian pastry’s - notably their cannolis - this Belmont business has recently added another Gino’s specialty that has gotten national consumer attention including the adulation of Bronx-born celebrity Chazz Palminteri. I first became aware of this new pastry sensation on a Twitter post, at which point I immediately replied with my desire to do a feature about this new doughnut specialty. Shortly thereafter I heard back from Jerome and we scheduled a time to meet at his shop.  My curiosity was piqued as to how he came up with the idea to combine one of America's favorite fried dough dessert with the quintessential Italian, cannoli cream. Determined to find out, my mind started wandering to other great "unexpected" food combos that made it into popular food culture - peanut butter and chocolate; pepperoni and pizza. Maybe cannoli cream and doughnuts was the next great staple! Clearly, bakers have been stuffing doughnuts for decades with jelly and custard. But, no one as of yet had the ingenuity to take the ethnically-based and beloved cannoli cream and fill anything besides a cannoli shell. What a great concept! When I arrived at Gino's the store was hoppin' with local patrons. The care and patience with which Jerome and Giovanna extended to each customer was a breath of fresh air in a modern society filled with rushing and pushing people through. It's no wonder this pastry shop is still a vibrant dessert destination after six decades.  The ORIGINAL "Donnoli" from Gino's Pastry Shop & Cafe in The Bronx's Real Little Italy (c) travelincousins.com I brought my sixteen year old daughter Gianna (who loves Arthur Avenue!) along and we sat patiently watching as trays of fresh cannoli shells were brought out from the back, and clients enthusiastically ordered their selection of Italian baked goods and frothy cappuccinos. We were soon joined by Jerome and sat comfortably in his store where I learned about his business and its origins. Arriving from Italy, his parents Gino and Ciara Raguso established Gino's Pastry Shop in Little Italy in 1960. Growing up in the business, Jerome has clearly kept their legacy alive offering the very best in Italian cookies, cakes and pastries. Even through the worst of times, one of which is the recent Covd-19 pandemic, Gino's continues to thrive thanks to his commitment and a loyal following.  Me with Giovanna and Jerome (c) travelincousins.com Like other businesses all over and in the Little Italy neighborhood, Jerome's establishment was affected by the current health crisis. In addition to their wedding cake business which makes up roughly 75% of their business, Gino's is also an important supplier of desserts to the neighborhood restaurants. With the cancellation of weddings and restaurant closures due to the mandates of the pandemic, Covid-19 had a challenging effect on business.  Post on Chazz Palminteri's instagram One of the store's best-selling items are their cannolis, which are sold in-store, to restaurants and to customers around the country. To insure absolute freshness, cannoli shells and the store's proprietary cannoli cream, are packaged separately for restaurants and long-distance orders so they can be filled just prior to serving and eating. With some ingenuity, Jerome decided to bring a new twist to the traditional cannoli and took an italian baked confection, better known as the "bombolini" or what Americans would know as a doughnut, and decided to fill them with cannoli cream. The result was incredible, particularly after a number of Bronx-born long time celebrity friends tried his new creation - affectionately called the "Dinnoli." Jerome shared with me that "After a few of my close neighborhood celebrity friends like Tommy Mottola and Chazz Palminteri tried them, they became regular patrons of the new "Donnoli." In fact, word began to spread via social media after Chazz Palminteri's son, Dante and Mattola posted photos and comments about the Donnoli on their pages. He went on to say, "That's when I got calls from around the country from people wanting to order them." By this point, my mouth was watering. Then... Jerome served us two Dinnoli variations. One "bombolini" (or doughnut) filled with his traditional cannoli cream and a second one filled with Nutella!  Soft, fresh and lucious! Cannoli Cream and Nutella filled "Donnolis" (c) travelincousins.com He told me that he realized there were lots of possible "fillings" he could offer and for those customers calling in to place orders he gives them some options. All shipped orders are sold with the empty "bombolinis" and the filling separately. "We are currently shipping our Donnolis around the country, as far as California and Idaho, as well as closer states like New Jersey," says Jerome. Folks, these are a must-try! Head to Arthur Avenue to experience the yummy goodness. If you are unable to travel to the shop, drop them a line for a delivery! As Jerome says, Gino's is "where you cannoli get the best!"  No mask was standing in the way of me and my donnoli!! (c) travelincousins.com And that's a wrap for today - here's to a lovely and relaxing weekend!! Hugs & Kisses, -Travelin' Elisa xoxo |
