Falling on March 19th, St. Joseph’s Day honors this patron saint of fathers and carpenters who is recognized in Catholic and Christian observant destinations, including in Italy, with religious services and culinary offerings.
As an Italian food tradition, this feast day is celebrated with special pastries called Zeppole di San Giuseppe and Sfingi di San Giuseppe.
At first, these St. Joseph’s Day specialties might look the same but they have some differences with preparation and taste.
Zeppole di San Giuseppe are made with choux pastry and both filled and topped with a pastry crème. They are also garnished with amarena cherries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Sfingi di San Giuseppe has some slight opposites, in that they are filled with sweetened ricotta cream and garnished with crushed pistachios and candied citrus.
These pastries are commonly found in traditional Italian bakeries. If you’re near to New York City, the Bronx’s Little Italy makes for a great shopping or foodie trip. Set within the Belmont neighborhood, Bronx’s Little Italy has many bakeries noted for their St. Joseph’s Day pastries and other Italian delectables. They include:
Artuso Pastry Shop , 670 E. 187th St.
This multigenerational bakery was opened by Vincent Artuso in 1946. Many of the bakery’s recipes passed down many of their recipes through each generation, adapting them through modern revisions to meet with lfood trends and community needs.
Artuso Pastry Shop carries zeppole and sfingi, which are available now until St. Joseph’s Day. The zeppole is filled and topped with vanilla custard cream and amarena cherries, while the sfingi is filled and topped with rich cannoli cream and adorned with candied citrus fruit, a glazed cherry, and sprinkles.
Delillo Pastry Shop, 610 E. 187th St.
As another family owned & operated shop, Delillo Pastry Shop has been a fixture of the Arthur Avenue food scene since 1925. Delillo produces fresh batches of its trademark cannolis, rainbow cookies, lobster tails, sfogliatelle and biscotti daily. In the summer months, guests can pull up a chair at the shop’s outdoor patio and cool down with some Italian ice.
In honor of St. Joseph, Delillo carries sfingi and zeppole. Sfingi feature cannoli cream, topped with a glazed cherry and candied orange. The zeppole features custard with glazed cherries.
Egidio Pastry Shop, 622 E. 187th St.
Egidio Pastry Shop is the oldest pastry shop on Arthur Avenue, a mainstay here since 1912. It’s said that the shop’s recipes for their sfingi and St. Joseph zeppole have remained unchanged.
Their sfingi features ricotta cream, bergamot orange and a glazed cherry. The St. Joseph zeppole features custard cream and an amarena cherry.
The shop’s current owner is Maria Carmela Lucciola, who has been running the business for more than 40 years. Although Carmela is not a descendent of Egidio, she carries on the family’s legacy out of respect, using their original recipes and taking care of the store, while adding her own touches. Other noted selections include biscotti cookies and their cannoli which are referred to by fan customers as “holy cannoli.”
Gino’s Pastry Shop , 580 E. 187th St.
Founded in 1960, this longtime pastry shop is owned by Jerome Raguso, the son of its founder, Gino Raguso. Jermone maintains the family shop’s tradition roots and honors its longtime recipes.
The shop prepares a traditional deep-fried St. Joseph zeppole with vanilla custard and amarena cherries and their St. Joseph sfingi stuffed with cannoli cream and topped with an orange citron strip. Gino’s is also noted for their cannolis. Photos of famous visitors such as actors Joe Pesci and Al Pacino are shown the walls of this pastry shop.
Morrone Pastry Shop & Café, 2349 Arthur Ave.
As a youngster amid Arthur Avenue’s longtimers, Morrone Pastry Shop & Café was established in 2005 by Ermanno Morrone. This small bakery is big on brightly lit display cases full of traditional Italian pastries, cookies, and cakes. The shop has also gotten high marks for their rainbow cookies and giant sugar cookies.
For St. Joseph’s Day, the pastry shop is maintaining this Italian tradition by carrying St. Joseph zeppole with custard, topped with an Amarena cherry, and a St. Joseph sfingi featuring cannoli cream, topped with a candied orange slice and a glazed cherry.
Morrone Pastry Shop & Cafe is also known for offering a wide variety of specialty and custom designed cakes and customers can also order cannoli, biscotti, and tiramisu perhaps pairing them with cappuccinos, espressos, and macchiatos.