They're HERE!!!!

News Flash!!

Strawberries have descended upon Philadelphia. Eye witnesses witnessed the truck pulling up to several Capogiro locations unloading what looked to be strawberries. The unmarked white truck had a “Farmers Rock” bumper sticker and a parking permit for the Old Road Mennonite Church on its side window. We believe this source to be credible.

Hurry, the season only lasts a few weeks! The strawberries can be volatile when left uneaten as seen in this undated photo.

Meet My Dad...

Last night, Manny belted out a rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody from the next room. I was just sitting there enjoying a grapefruit margarita (with ice thank you) and found myself smiling all over. Life is grand. I don't know if y'all know this, but I am a political junkie. I love it and hate it, as we all do. On certain days, I feel like I have been punched in the kidneys by the day's events. I try not to let it get me down. I have friends, like Dan, Kamala, Marisa and Francine who tell me to knock it the f*@%! off, when I start furrowing my brow. What am I rambling about, aside from the Patron, it's life mother puckers!

Life. Let's all just skip back down memory lane and remember why we do what we do. Why we love what we love. Why we should love what we do. Above is a pic of ....guess. It's the 70's, obviously. So smart, you are...I have my Dad's coloring and my mom's bone structure. I wish I had their height. My Mom was close to 6 foot! You can see they are happy. My dad left this earth shortly before my 30th birthday and I miss him. My Mom, she will never recover. He was nuts and dogmatic and would tickle me until I would pee in my pants. I will never forgive him for that. He had a knack for saying the most inappropriate things. Shut up! I know.... He could fix about anything and was always there for me. No one was more excited about being a grandfather. My brother once gave me the most random information about..I think it was concrete. When I mocked him, his response was, "I am my father's son." My point is that my Dad knew what he loved and he loved food. I learned to love food through my Dad.

My Dad was the king of the deli sandwich, Chinese food or any Asian product, pickled vegetables, mustard, sausage, ribs, raw bar....I could go on. The man loved food. He grew up in Rhode Island and spent his adult years in NYC. One of my first and most vivid memories is of my Dad putting a clam on the half shell to my lips on the boardwalk and me choking. He held me upside down by my ankle as he pounded my back to dislodge the bivalve. I cried and he took me for a waffle ice cream sandwich, Napolitano style sprinkled with powdered sugar, to erase the whole incident. I miss that man! My first taste of Indian, Korean and Japanese was with my Dad. He roared when I first tried wasabi. Roared! (read: annoying) He judged a restaurant by how many "round eyes" were in the place. Not too many? Good! I mentioned he was inappropriate, no?

It's a new year. Let's introduce someone to something we love. Why we love. Why we are passionate. Mike Feldman, my Dad. He has never had our gelato. He would have loved it. Now go do it! He would be proud of you!

What Do You Want?

Every now and then I find myself asking if this is really my life? Making gelato when it is freezing outside!?!?! Then I pinch myself, look at my family and smile. Even when my dumb dogs are in sight. Don't send me hate mail. If you had any clue how dumb (and sweet) they are, you would not blame me for hating on them on occasion.

Last year I was speaking to one of my Amish farmers (on a cell phone - ahem.) He mentioned that it was the beginning of the 7 Weeks of Want. How intoxicating! Seven Weeks of Want? Yes, the seven weeks when everything stops growing and nothing new will arrive or be harvested. How incredibly beautiful. We have entered the Wanting.... That is what is wrong with me. People still eat gelato when it is cold outside and my dogs are always this dumb. I have just entered the Want.

What do you want? The Fall starts beautifully with pears, apples, and squash. The Winter sashays in with black walnuts, chestnuts, persimmons, blood oranges and exquisite citrus. No want. I am satisfied.

We have entered Want. What do you want? What do you crave? What do you need? I don't need strawberries...not yet. I don't want honeysuckle...not yet.

What do you Want? Two cute dogs, maybe?

Blood Orange Juice: A Love Story

Blood Orange Juice from Capogiro Gelato on Vimeo.

Why the Wintertime Isn't That Bad

The wintertime, albeit cold and miserable, is a special time that offers its own unique gifts. Here's just a few:

Persimmon sorbetto! It doesn't get any better than this, people. It's hard to believe it's dairy free. They're a peculiar fruit, looking like a squat orange tomato. Did you know Mitchell, Indiana has an annual Persimmon Festival? Wild! Maybe I can save up my tips for a field trip to the Midwest.

Blood Orange sorbetto! (See previous blog entry. Enough said...)

King Leo Stracciatella! Classic Italian chocolate chip gelato with fresh peppermint and hand-crushed peppermint candies. One of our more labor-intensive flavors, but well worth it! It may make an encore appearance by popular demand before winter is through. (Hint hint: call us and ask for it!)

I know, I know, you're asking yourself "Frozen treats in the winter?" Pish posh, lucky for you we keep it a cozy 71° inside our cafes.

Hot Apple Cider! Locally pressed, of course. Spiked with Vietnamese Cinnamon and steamed ever so delicately by your loving barista.

Mochas! We serve this chocolatey espresso drink year-round, but it's more fun to drink them during the cold, dark days. Don't forget a generous dollop of whipped cream!

Soup! Our homemade peasant-style soup is one of the best parts of working for Capo. With an ever-changing variety of hearty freshly made soups, lunch is never boring!

BBBLLLOOOOOOODDDDD OOORRANNNNGGEEEESSSUUHHH!!

Yes, I just screamed that. Why!?!! WHY!!! Because I need y'all to stop emailing me about seeing blood oranges at the grocery store or having a lovely snappy blood orange martini at the bar. I am also talking to you, baristi! I know you want your fix. Need your fix. Do y'all realize that the blood orange juice in your cocktail probably came from a box?!?! GRRROOOSSSSS! Blech. Okay. Breathe. I am much calmer now. My apologies for spitting.

We have a silly rule at Capo: we will serve no fruit (blood oranges, in this case) until it is time. We had a case before the holidays that tasted like, well, like lighter fluid. No joke. Lighter fluid. What was up with that? How is that possible? We just won't do it. So sorry. But today is a glorious day! Thomas has found delicious blood oranges at the docks. The flesh is not the darkest, but give it time, my friends.

I know, I know. I lectured y'all about eating seasonally with my truffle brag and then I yell at you for being excited about a colossally delicious fruit. I am not good, but I have good intentions. Lyle Lovette said that. He's a genius.

Bloods will be in the cafes in the next two days. Send me the love.....sorry for yelling. I am excited too.

P.S. I love the Capogirians. Hounding me for blood....so cute.

UPDATE: Lorenzo's brother solved the mystery of the lighter fluid oranges. Alessandro says, "Quelle troppo acerbe (di solito si raccolgono un po' indieto di maturazione) si sverdiscono con etilene, poi si trattano con cere per renderle piu' brillanti e resistenti alle manipolazioni."

OF COURSE! They (meaning mass market farmers) harvest oranges a bit early so they can travel; if then they are too green, they turn them orange by rubbing them with ethylene..
Then the oranges are waxed to be more resistant..

White Truffles Make Me Happy

Last winter, John and I went on a food odyssey in Italy. We tended to some gelato business in Milan and then went on a 10 day tour of Piedmont. It was chilly and damp; for some odd reason, I love Italy draped in weather which is probably considered uncomfortable. We wrapped up in heavy coats, wore sturdy waterproof shoes and hit the cobblestones. All our odysseys usually involve food and this one was epic: it was truffle season and we were going all out. After talking with friends, we nailed down the cities: Alba, Monforte d'Alba, Torino, Barolo...to name a few. In each town, we had a mission - find the best restaurant with the best truffles and wine and enjoy. It was epic. Did I already say that? Well, it was. The truffles were as intoxicating as the scenery.


Over the holidays we had many dinners with family and friends. I have already written about Casamento's. When John received a call from our friend Jean Phillipe stating that he managed to get his paws on some truffles from Alba and can we bring dessert, I started counting the minutes down. Jean Phi can cook. I mean really cook. His friends were bringing the wine, excellent wine, and we were in for something great. So off we were to join JP, his lovely smart wife, her mom, his sister, and her husband and his wine genius friends. Sounds like it could get ugly.

Needless to say, it was glorious. We started with eggs and truffles, then beautiful fresh beans with truffle mayonnaise and truffles, then truffle risotto with more truffles, Jean Phi made fresh papardelle with butter,
parmesan and truffles, duck confit with potato gratin with truffles, and finally dessert. With each course was a new bottle of wine. Beyond words.

One of the most glorious things about truffles is that they are seasonal.
You can buy truffles in butter and oil year round, but why? It is the new year and why not try eating seasonally? Here at Capo, we only use fruit that is seasonal: it is not worth it otherwise. Strawberries in February, why? Tasteless and grainy, hard and too cold. When you eat seasonally, you appreciate the quality and the flavors much more. Trust. A New Year's Resolution - Eat Seasonally, increase happiness.