Making Room by Gather
Hospitality. What do you think of when you hear that word?
For some it's old school 'stuffy' entertaining for others it's something to do with the hotel industry. One thing is for sure, as a culture we're not talking about it much.
Food * Design * Relationships have seemed to have taken a back seat to what our culture focuses on and values yet...we find ourselves in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. Something has to change, it's time to get back to our tables, and we're making room for it!
Making Room by Gather invites you into a new conversation on everyday hospitality. One that rewrites the way we approach opening your doors and filling your tables. Shifting the narrative from 'how does this make me look' to 'how does this make you feel' these buildable conversations aspire to inspire connection through everyday gathering.
Kayty's chic and a little quirky interview style will make you feel like you're sitting with a friend talking about how to grow in confidence as an everyday host. You can expect conversations from navigating challenging relationship dynamics to foundational cooking techniques and everything in between.
Whether you are a seasoned host or looking to develop new friendships and grow in your skills for the first time, there is a seat at the table. Join us weekly for new conversations with expert guests and with Kayty in her beloved Date with Kayt episodes. Continue the conversation @gatheritentionalliving
Making Room by Gather
Coney Island, Family Recipes & The History of Gargiulo's Restaurant w/ Chef Matthew Cutolo
I've lived in Connecticut most of my life and have always loved NYC but somehow I have never made my way to Coney Island. There is a certain familiarity it has always had to me from the movies, but truthfully, I've never heard stories of the real history it holds. Matthew Cutolo, chef at Gargiulos, talks to us about the Coney Island that once was, what it looks like today and the role his families restaurant has played in it all.
From conversations on hosting guests like Leonardo DiCaprio, to the journey to launching their own jarred tomato sauce that you can purchase and use at home today. This conversation feels like you're listening to me sitting down talking with a long lost cousin...and you're invited.
Whether the conversation of 'stinky cheese' and cannolis is new to you, or if you grew up surrounded by stories of old world Italian tradition, this is for you.
Learn more about the Gargiulos here
Follow Chef Matthew on socials @matthewcutolo
Hey everyone, happy New Year Whenever you're listening to this. We were just talking about this, our guests today and I. The holidays were so sweet, so busy, but man are we tired. So I hope that as you are listening to the episode today, you are cozied up, soaking up all the holiday memories and excited for the year ahead. Well, if you are anything like me, you spend a lot of time in the kitchen. You guys know that if you've been around here for any length of time, and in our family there's a lot of kids, cousins, wesley family, friends and sometimes it could feel like having kids in the kitchen is more frustrating than it is. Helpful. I get it, but there's a flip side of that. You might not always realize the impact that it has on the next generation and the example that it's setting, and today's conversation is a testament to that Just the power of what the impact that having kids in the kitchen can have.
Speaker 1:Today's guest is Matthew Cotolo, and he is a restaurant owner out of Coney Island, which, if you don't know, is in New York, and I've lived in Connecticut my whole life. I've been to the city. I love New York, I love the Italian New York scene, but I have actually never been to Coney Island, and so we're going to talk a lot about that, his background and the rich history of his restaurant and the generations past. Well, if you do not know about him, here is a little bit more to get you up to speed. Chef Matthew Cattolo is a third-generation Italian-American chef, proudly carrying on the legacy of Gargiulo's, a Brooklyn institution in the heart of Coney Island. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island, matthew grew up immersed in the rich traditions of Italian American life. His great-grandparents immigrated from Naples in the early 1900s which I kind of forgot about this. My grandpa did too, from Naples, and so we actually should probably explore that a little bit. And those roots continue to inspire his approach to food and hospitality. His culinary journey took a pivotal turn during his time studying abroad in Naples, where he immersed himself in Italian culture and cuisine, perfecting traditional Neapolitan dishes and rediscovering the importance of family through food. Matthew's menu at Gargiulo's reflects his deep respect for both tradition and innovation, which I love, offering diners a true taste of Naples paired with the warm familial hospitality his grandparents instilled in him. Whether he's crafting a classic pasta dish or creating a fresh take on a beloved Italian staple, chef Matthew continues to celebrate the rich history of vibrant flavors that make Gargiulo's a landmark of Italian-American cuisine. At Gargiulo's, matthew blends his family's time-honored traditions with his own creative flair, offering diners a true taste of both Naples and Brooklyn. Every dish is more than just a meal. It's a tribute to his heritage and the generations of the family who made it all possible Such a beautiful story that I know you guys are going to love hearing a little bit more about.
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Speaker 1:Hi, I'm Katie, a hospitality educator and the host of Making Room by Gather podcast. I'm Katie, a hospitality educator and the host of Making Room by Gather podcast. I am set to see our communities get back to the table through hospitality, but it wasn't always this way. My husband and I moved to Thailand and through it I experienced some loneliness, and with it I was given a choice to sit back and accept it or to do something about it. And for me, that meant two things that I needed the healing to learn how to accept an invitation and the confidence to know how to extend one. Through this process, I developed some of the richest and deepest relationships of my life.
Speaker 1:Through Making Room by Gather, you will hear conversations from myself and experts in the areas of food, design and relationships. You see there are countless things trying to keep us from the table. But can I tell you something? Take a seat because you are ready, you are capable, you are a good host. Okay, it's going to be a fun one. I'll let our listeners know. Right before the conversation, we were starting to talk and I was like whoa, whoa, hold on. I want to hit record first. So glad to have you here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so happy to be on with you.
Speaker 1:So before we hit record, we were talking about Coney Island a little bit and I was asking you. I was like, okay, what movies were recorded there?
Speaker 2:And I'm going to hit myself because I feel like there was a childhood, childhood classic movie and it was maybe like a scary scene for a kid in coney island, like well, there's warriors, um, you know the one where they they clink the bottles on their hand come out to play and, um, that's a, that's like a classic cult, like Coney Island movie.
Speaker 2:That was shot there. And then there's just been so many others throughout the years Wonder Wheel with Kate Winslet, if with Ryan Reynolds that shot there a couple of years ago. So that was nice and thank God, you know, the area is having a little bit of a let's call it a production boom where there's lots of casts and crews coming down and shooting some fun, exciting stuff. And you know, especially too, if you do like period pieces in the 80s or late 70s, it's always such like a nostalgic place to come down and film and kind of you get to see it transform back to the old days a little bit with some of the set pieces that they do and it's just, it's a nice thing for the neighborhood, it's a nice thing to get the word of Coney Island out there. Sometimes, being in the, you know, most Southern part of South Brooklyn, you get a little lost in a fray. But we're there and it's such a, it's such a great place to be.
Speaker 1:So there's Hollywood's depiction of it, and when I think of Coney Island, I think of a hot dog, I think of the. What else? Like, I guess, what about the way that Hollywood shows it is like true. And then like what do you wish people knew about it? That maybe they don't capture true?
Speaker 2:And then like, what do you wish people knew about it that maybe they don't capture? Well, it has such a long history. I would love, kind of, if they even went back further into the 1920s and 30s. Boardwalk Empire touched on it a little bit but it was kind of in a different lens. But back then, you know, it was like Disneyland before Disneyland it was Vegas, before Vegas.
Speaker 2:Coney Island was the place to be, and that's when you know the restaurant really was oh, we're going to Gargiulo's, because the restaurant opened in 1907. And again back in Coney Island, you know tons of people went down there and big banquets, big functions, big events going out to dinner, and Gargiulo's was one of those places. So you know, gargiulo's is the longest standing business in Coney Island and it has such a rich history that dates back so much further than maybe what's being portrayed now. But any way you showcase it, I think it's great to just bring attention to the area. Like I said, sometimes you can be forgotten, we are a little out of the way, but it's such a great place to experience, especially if you've never been before. There's nostalgia, there's just a lot of fun between the amusement parks and the rides and the beach right there it's. It's really a great place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would love to make my way there Cause, like I said, I love, obviously, like Italian culture and I love New York, but I'm I'm curious. So I live very close to Worcester street in Connecticut. Have you spent time there?
Speaker 2:No, I have not.
Speaker 1:No, oh, come out, come have pizza with us New Haven.
Speaker 2:Oh, it is Okay. So I went to school at Quinnipiac.
Speaker 1:Oh, no way.
Speaker 2:So I was like right down, is that where, like Frank Pepsi's? Yeah, of course, yeah. So yes, I've been there.
Speaker 1:I was going to say you have to have been there.
Speaker 2:No, I have been there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, parts is when you walk in and there's the wall of all the people that have been there, like the greats.
Speaker 2:it goes back a long time. So how about your restaurant? Have you had any like noteworthy guests that you're like really proud of? Yeah, we have kind of like a similar wall, um, right off of the bar, um, but there's been just there's been so many you know great people that have come in and out. Um, trying to think off the top of my head Leonardo DiCaprio was there. Robert De Niro, marissa Tomei.
Speaker 1:Those alone. That's all you need really.
Speaker 2:Cate Blanchett. You know there's just there's so many. You're trying to go through the list and I'm trying to look at, like the wall that you know we have all those pictures on Mike Piazza, like yeah, there's just been. Countless numbers throughout the years, and one nicer than the next. We're very fortunate for that.
Speaker 1:Incredible. I love that history. I don't know. I love learning about family. You know family history in general, so it's sweet to hear that yours goes so far back. Now I'm actually curious. So your family came over from Naples early 1900s. I know my family entered the farming industry right away when they landed, so yours did. They go right into the restaurant, like they came and just opened a restaurant or what did that look?
Speaker 2:like A little different. So my family actually it's on my mother's side but started out with pizzerias and then in 1965, the Russo family, my, my uncle's, great uncles, that's when they purchased Gargiulo's. And you know they bought that and it was. It was tough in the beginning. You know Coney Island had very much changed from its heyday.
Speaker 2:And then in the late 1970s we got three stars from the New York Times, which was unheard of for a restaurant outside of Manhattan at the time. And Mimi Sheridan was the New York Times reviewer that came down and they asked her why did you give Gargiulo's three stars? And she said what they set out to accomplish, they did so well and it was home style, it was making you feel at home and the food was classic, authentic flavors. And next thing, you know that spawned, you know, tons of people coming down to experience it and enjoy it. And then in the early 80s we put the catering hall on.
Speaker 2:So there's just been countless numbers of families who have had their parties there, events there. You know everybody in South Brooklyn has been to an event at Gargiulo's at one point or another. In South Brooklyn has been to an event at Gargiulo's at one point or another and it's so great to see kind of the families continue to have their parties there generation after generation, and my four uncles, my uncles and my aunt are the current owners and, yeah, I'm the next generation now learning from them, each one of them, which is so great and trying to continue on our family legacy.
Speaker 1:Wow, how does that work with family business?
Speaker 2:Some days are better than others.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I love it because six days a week we're together and at 2.30 every day day we sit down and have lunch together at the family table in the dining room. Um, because who's running in the morning, who's running in the evening, you know. So, at 2 30 every day we make sure to put a little time aside, sit down, have a, have a nice lunch and then, uh, get back to it.
Speaker 1:I'd love to get a glimpse of that. That could be a good reel for you guys. Just have a time lapse of family dinner, yeah.
Speaker 2:Some days we'll have to edit out some parts, but for the most part it'll make it through.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it. Gosh Well, okay, so much of your story is about what you learned from your family and working with your family and just being around them and being inspired by them, and what I loved about one part of your write-up was, of course, that inspiration and learning happened in the kitchen, but I also saw a line that it also happened in the backyard. What did you mean by this? What did that look like? Yeah, so my grandparents.
Speaker 2:They bought a summer house out in Shelter Island in the early 1960s and there was nothing, you know, in Shelter Island at that point. It was a few houses scattered here and there, but mainly undeveloped, not like it is today. And we've had it ever since. I'm actually here now taking a little break after crazy month of December. But we always had people over, you know, and cooking was such a big part of that and entertaining and just whoever wanted to show up, you invited them and made them feel welcome.
Speaker 2:And you know my I always say my grandfather was the one that kind of instilled the passion and the drive of cooking in me and there's pictures of me two years old, you know, on the kitchen stool. I've got my hands in pizza dough going at it, learning from him. And you know he's the one that I really learned from in the beginning of my life and there was just there was always food, there was always people. My grandmother had a joke, you know we have a small driveway, the cars fill up and then we start lining the front of the house with cars and she was always happiest when, you know, the front of the house was filled with cars because it meant there was people, there was friends, family, love, laughter and everything in between.
Speaker 2:So in the backyard was a big place for me to kind of learn all of these things about cooking, entertaining, you know, family, friends, everything. And it always holds a special place in my heart. And now I'm kind of at the age now where I'm doing that with my friends and bringing them out here during the summer and entertaining, and a lot of my friends now too are in the industry. So it really is great to get everybody out. One, we're all together, but two, it's so peaceful out here, you know, to get out of the city and kind of have this solace, this solace. So it's really nice and I love now that I can kind of, you know, pass these traditions along, incorporate them with my friends. That, you know, was taught to me so many years ago.
Speaker 1:I love that and you know what's wild. I've never even heard of Shelter Island. Yeah, where is it?
Speaker 2:The Long Island Forks right, so at the end, and there's a little island right in the middle and that's where we are out of montauk uh, before that okay, so it's literally right in the middle of the two forks that you know.
Speaker 1:It's so wild I can't even picture what it looks like like on a map you'll be like you'll be looking at it later. Oh, it was there the whole time we went to the hamptons just for a day trip, just to experience it like a year or two ago, and that was the first time I've ever been on long island, like you know. Yeah, I've been out there. That's great, and that's not even true long island, right? Yeah, yeah see.
Speaker 2:So now you'll have to come. Next summer you'll come to my house, and then we got two brick oven pizzas from naples too.
Speaker 1:So so you don't have to tell me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:When you're talking about, like the family, the cars, like that's my scene and that's how I was raised and I told my husband, like this past holiday season it was sweet for us, but my grandparents have passed away. Family is changing, people are getting married, grandkids, all that stuff, and we don't have that. It is changing, people are getting married, grandkids, all that stuff, and we don't have that. It's not as prevalent in our life as it was in past years and so I'm missing that. But, like you said, it's kind of like the season of life where we have to create it now.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, exactly, Life goes on and it's all about keeping those traditions alive and you know kind of passing it on to the next generation and your kids now for them to experience that. And you know kind of passing it on to the next generation and your kids now for them to experience that, and you know they learn that and then they pass it on. So it's one of those things that it was always. It was definitely instilled in me, but it was always around. So it's just like we grew up. That's all we know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's kind of easy to do in a way, but it's a lot of fun. I'll tell you that much.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you guys were like this, but my husband is Swedish and didn't come from Connecticut and so very removed from the Italian culture and just experienced like hospitality differently. And so when we first started dating and he was like everyone's not an uncle, I was like yeah, exactly, and he's like no, no, no, but what ones are actually related?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's definitely that that goes on.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, but like everyone's not an uncle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everybody's family.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everyone's family. Yeah, I love that. I love it so much. So a huge passion of yours is preserving Neapolitan cooking and do you say Napolitan.
Speaker 2:What is it? You know it could be Neapolitan Napolitan, it could be anything. I guess it depends who you're talking to.
Speaker 1:I know, I know I heard that a lot growing up, but I feel like when we're in the US, talking about like cooking in the United States, we could very easily differentiate like food from the South or food from the North, but we actually don't have a great lens for that as Americans when it comes to Italian cooking. So what would you say like differentiates Neapolitan cooking from the rest of Italy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's one of those things that I love about Italian cooking, because there could be dishes that have so many variations and it all depends upon the region that you're from or you know, what you learn from. North and south very different, and it's all based upon, you know, the region that you're in and the abundance of ingredients, what was readily available, because a lot of these recipes are years and years old, years and years old, so it wasn't like you know, you could call up the truck and say, all right, bring me, you know, 10 cases of tomatoes up north and get them as easy as you can. Today it was, you know. Okay, what can we farm, what can we get at the local market? So, being from Southern Italy, the climate is much more adaptable for farming. So you're going to see a lot more tomatoes, olives, olive oil and then, being so close to the water, especially in Naples, a lot of seafood. Whereas you go further north, you know you're getting into the more mountain regions, you're going to see a lot more beef, a lot more butter, a lot more salami, great cheeses, a lot more butter, a lot more salami, great cheeses, pecorino, romano, parmigiano-reggiano, gorgonzola, truffles, mushrooms, because you know, those things excel in the kind of damper, colder, you know lands of Italy, whereas southern the heat, you know that's better for, again, the tomatoes, the eggplants, the olives. And then it's just different too. You look at pasta. You know fresh pasta up north incorporates a lot more eggs, egg yolks, whereas from the south it's just water and semolina, and that's how you make it.
Speaker 2:So I think you know people now in today's world, they see all this Italian cooking, like you said, they might not know the difference, but I love that and I kind of love teaching that and incorporating that into the specials menu at the restaurant. And you know, okay, this dish is from up north, this dish is from southern. This is this tradition, this is that tradition. So there's just so much you know, this is that tradition. So there's just so much you know culture and traditions to be for people to learn. And I love doing that now on, like my Instagram and YouTube and TikTok pages and kind of highlighting those differences. Because, again, if you take bolognese, there's 10 different ways you can make it. You know, from the Southern to the North there's more butter in it or there's a touch of cream. Down south there's more tomato. That's what's available in those regions, and that's how the recipes were developed years and years ago.
Speaker 1:I love asking this question, and you might not have an answer to it If you absolutely had to buy a jarred sauce yourself. What brand do you go for?
Speaker 2:Well, we have just launched our own jarred sauces. That's right so that might be the perfect segue.
Speaker 1:That wasn't even a setup.
Speaker 2:That wasn't even a setup A little bit of product placement, yeah, I know. So yeah, that's kind of one of my passion projects over the past couple of years was really developing that and getting that out, because I think you know such a long history in the restaurant and generations from my family everyone's kind of contributed at different points to the success of it and growing the business and hopefully this could, you know, be my little contribution. But you know I, my family, has been instrumental in doing it, from all my uncles and my aunt and getting it out there and kind of getting it off the ground. It was a little bit of a long process between COVID and just you know, recovering from that and so much going on, but it's finally out there. It's available for nationwide shipping and pretty soon hopefully we'll have it in grocery stores and you know it'll be a little more easily accessible. But if you go on Gargioloscom you can get your own today.
Speaker 1:That's. Oh my gosh, that was like the best accident.
Speaker 2:I know I was like oh, this is awesome.
Speaker 1:That's so funny. I have to get my hands on some, because I was telling my husband the other day I just don't have the time I used to, I need to make it. I used to make my own sauce. All the time I was using red sauce, I would make it, um, and I'm just. I've been so disappointed with the sauces on the shelves, um, and so I'm excited for yours.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you let me know, I'll send you a couple of bottles, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:That's so fun, wow. Well, one thing I feel like there's so many different topics we could talk about here, but one thing I loved about like your bio and learning more about you is you're described as kind of like old school, but with like a fresh energy or a fresh spin, and I was thinking about this. Past Christmas, there was a local Italian shop that I used to always go to with my grandpa. It was like the Italian shop, and I drove by the other day. There's still the sign there, but it's closed, and I was like man, where do I go? Like there wasn't a replacement for it and I was like I could go to, stop and shop and get some of the imported stuff, but it's just not the same, and so those are the types of things that you're trying to really preserve, like the old world Italian traditions that are kind of like, I don't know, going away. So I want to hear that in your own words, though Like what does old school mean to you? Like old school Italian?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Okay. So, like you said, tradition that's what it's all about, Um, culture and tradition and keeping those things moving forward and alive. And one of my favorite things in the restaurant is somebody comes in and they say I haven't had that since my grandmother made it, or I haven't had that since my mother made it, those type of things. I love that, and especially when it comes to holidays and things of that nature, bigger events throughout the year, that's where I really get in and try and keep those holiday dishes alive, especially this past Christmas Struvely, the Zeppeli di Natale, the Little Bowls Now you have coming up sooner it'll be Conreval, so we make Pizza Rustica. And then St Joseph's Day, the Zeppeli, San Giuseppe. There's so many you know days throughout the year, but those holiday traditions and keeping those alive, that's what it's all about for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the best. I picture my grandpa going to Luigi's that was the name of the store and he would come home with the brown bag with the stinky cheese. And it was a little kid, I was like man, that stuff stinks.
Speaker 2:And now like it's my favorite, and when I get it at the grocery store it's just not the same, like it doesn't have the same stink it's a luxury, being in Brooklyn still, that we still have, you know, a good amount of those stores that you can just run out and go get some, some stinky cheese or anything you know kind of that you'd like. But one of my favorites is Coluccio's in Brooklyn. Know the family well and you know they import so many products so it's so great. You know I need it. Could be anything and I'll just run to them and be able to get it. Or Labella is another great one. And Bensonhurst. You know they import a ton of products too. So for me it's a little easily, more easily accessible than, let's say, connecticut. But you know I love that too, because there's so many people that still go there asking for those types of things and for them to still be there and be able to provide it.
Speaker 2:And there's so many other stores too, specialty stores that you can go to and get those things, and again, most of them they're family owned, they're family oriented. So it's great that there kind of still is that connection in the area.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I miss all of it. You know, like the older generation passing away now, if there's not people like you really working, working intentionally to preserve it, it can.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's up to us now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. It is up to us. Huh man, I don't know if this is a Connecticut like Italian scene, but I remember my grandpa coming home with a cannoli with the red and white string wrapped around the boxes. Is that? Do you see that too? Or was that just like a local thing?
Speaker 2:No, that's a bakery thing.
Speaker 1:Is it really? Okay, yeah, absolutely I don't see that as much and I'm like that was Christmas to me. The boxes with the red and white, again, you know.
Speaker 2:I'm fortunate where I'm still in Brooklyn, so there's still plenty of that. And you, you know, being restaurant and catering business, you deal with a good amount of bakery still, which is so nice to see. But yeah, I actually have our family cannoli recipe and so I still make those in the restaurant and continue that tradition. On Our cousin, mike the Bake, he was the pastry chef for 40 years in the restaurant and he didn't give a recipe to anyone. And so when I first started full-time after I graduated college, he was semi-retired at that point. He would come in one day a week do the cheesecake, do the cannoli, and then again, if we had those holiday things, he would really push those along. And I just I noticed, you know, when it's his time to retire, who's going to make these things? You know what I mean. Like these, these are known Gargiulo items. Like we have to keep this going. It's all about, again, the tradition.
Speaker 2:So I made it my point where I was like I'm going to learn from Mike to make and again, he didn't give a recipe to anyone for 40 years. So when we started he came in. I was like Mike, I want to learn, okay. And his famous saying was if you want to learn, you got to watch. So we started and let's just say he would put flour in the mixing bowl. He would go take a lap around the kitchen, go talk to somebody for 10, 15 minutes, right, and then come back to the bowl and put the next ingredient in. But I made sure I'd stayed by the bowl so that when he was back I could see. And then you know he put sugar in. This time he'd go do the same thing. He'd take a lap around the kitchen and I was still waiting there. And that went on for, I want to say, a good six months. And then after six months it was okay, we're putting everything in the bowl here and let everything come together.
Speaker 2:Then that was a good couple of months maybe another six months and then it started really developing into OK, shkrib, shkrib, right, because his English was still a little broken. So it was like a mix between Nopliton dialect and English. It was like our own little language. Only the two of us could understand. But he would say you know, write down this. We're putting 10 eggs, we're putting a scoop of flour, and a scoop is like a shovel or your hands. It's not like, oh, we're taking a cup and then we're putting it in. It wasn't like that. It was like put my hand in and throw it in the bowl, um, so that lasted a couple months and then all of a sudden it was. This happens why? But this happens because if you add too much of this, this would happen.
Speaker 2:And that's when I really started learning the intricacies of everything. But he was just so amazing too because he could go from baking and then hop on the line and cook any dish. And I always say my grandfather was the one that instilled the passion. Mike the Bake was the one that really taught me how to cook in the restaurant and take me to that next level. So I A lot of these traditional recipes are his. You know from our family that he was the only one to have, and now now I am the only one that has the recipes, so out of the whole family, there's plenty of secrets I still have, so I always joke. They got to keep me around for a little while longer.
Speaker 1:I was going to say it's a lot of power. Oh, my goodness, I love it. So yeah, cannolis were a huge part of my upbringing, my favorite dessert. It meant the holidays, it meant a special occasion, and I'm gluten-free. Now I have to be for health reasons and I would, historically, go somewhere and ask if I could buy the cream and make my own shells, or I would buy shells. This is the first year I made my own shells and I did pizzelle. So pizzelle, however, how do you say it?
Speaker 2:Pizzelle.
Speaker 1:Pizzelle, yeah. And so I got a press. I made a gluten-free recipe. They were nice and crisp, but by the time we ate it they were so soft. So how do you preserve the crunch? That was like the question of the holiday.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, it's one of those things. I don't know how to cook gluten free very well, so I don't know if I have an exact answer for you.
Speaker 1:OK, so just a shell in general, because how long would a shell stay fresh, would you guys say in the restaurant industry, like how long would you serve it?
Speaker 2:Like a cannoli shell. If you keep it in an airtight container it could last quite a while, but normally I'm making them so much that we're just going through them. You know constantly.
Speaker 1:And let's be real, when they're on a table, they don't stay around long, right yeah?
Speaker 2:no exactly. Especially in a Venetian hour or something like that, where you put the desserts on the table.
Speaker 1:We're getting empty dishes back in the kitchen to wash, which is which is so nice I think the biggest problem was it wasn't fried for me, they were baked well, I just did a pizzelle like in a press. I roll. Yeah, yeah, I think the canola shells yeah, yeah, so well, I rolled it and then I just filled it right away. I think if I did a fried shell that's definitely.
Speaker 2:That's the more authentic way.
Speaker 1:I know. I was trying to know what you use like almond flour. No, I used a. It was like a potato rice flour mix and it was delicious, um, but it just didn't texture. It was yeah, yeah, keep well for a long time.
Speaker 2:And now ours are more of a Neapolitan way of making the cannoli than the Sicilian, so they're a little lighter and airier and we make sure that to preserve that. You know you still have the crunch we stuff everything to order, so nothing sitting around. It's not like the shells are going soggy or anything like that.
Speaker 1:Nice, that sounds great. Well, I was going to say I can't wait to try one. My husband will try it, I'll. I'll eat the cream.
Speaker 2:We'll give you a little cream on the plate with some strawberries.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's not. Hey, that's even better, that sounds great. Well, we talked a little bit about it, but I want you to kind of finish painting the picture for us. So someone comes to the restaurant, what would you say in your words, differentiates the experience at Gargiulo's from another Italian restaurant? Like, what could they expect?
Speaker 2:When you walk in you will feel like you're at home, and that's a testament to the guys that we have working. It's a testament to my uncles and aunt, who have made this atmosphere that you're just so welcome and so comfortable. And we're so fortunate that the guys that we have working have been with us, almost most of them, for 20 plus years, Whether it be the guys in the dining room or the guys in the kitchen. Whether it be the guys in the dining room or the guys in the kitchen, you know they started when they were teenagers or young adults, and you know 30 years later, they're still here and especially in the kitchen.
Speaker 2:It's been so great to be embraced by them and they've been so helpful in seeing you know that I want to learn. I want to get to that point where I have the 30 years experience. I want to learn. I want to get to that point where I have the 30 years experience. So it's really really nice, especially in that capacity too, because they'll teach me things and then you know I'll teach them maybe newer ways or a different way to plate something or a presentation or things like that.
Speaker 2:Or again, teach them adding a little milk is northern, you know using lard and is more southern. Adding a little milk is northern, you know using lard and is more southern. So it's just. It's a great working environment for me, especially in the kitchen, but in the dining room the guys are absolutely incredible. They've been with us for so long and you know, we know how they think, they know how we think it's. It's a great.
Speaker 1:I cut out for just a second. Let's see, oh, I cut out for just a second you back, yeah, oh, that's okay, we're back, we got it. That says a lot about you guys as like bosses, I guess, or like family, for to have that like, to have them around that long, like the restaurant industry, is such high turnaround. That's such a testament to you guys and the atmosphere.
Speaker 2:It really is a testament to my, to my uncles and my aunt. Like I said, they've just created such a great culture and atmosphere in the restaurant that makes it easy to work and and some days again, typical restaurant business type of deal. Some days are easier than others, some days are harder, but you know that's kind of the industry that we're in and you know you still want to try and joke around a little once in a while just to keep it a little more lighthearted, because it's it's a fast paced, quick environment and you know it can drag you down at times and you know it's nice to go to a place for work where you feel welcome and you're happy to go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love it. I love it. Well, you went to Quinnipiac. How far is the restaurant from this area?
Speaker 2:About two hours.
Speaker 2:Oh that area About two hours, oh, that's not bad. But again, if you're on 95, it could be a little more than that, Especially with construction, you never know. But it wasn't bad at all. So it was nice that I either wanted close enough where I could go back and forth you know, home, as I kind of pleased or far enough where that wasn't the option. And I remember visiting Quinnipiac and going there with my mother and it was just the rainiest of days. There was like thunder and lightning and things like that and as soon as I stepped on the campus it was like, ok, this is where I'm going.
Speaker 2:It was just kind of one of those. The light bulb went off moments and fell in love with it right away and made so many great friends over the years that still in touch with such a close knit group. So it was one of the great experiences of my life.
Speaker 1:Great four years I haven't even been to well. I think I went to one conference there, but I knew that I was going to go out of state, so I didn't visit.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love. I love knowing that the restaurant is just two hours from here. We have to come, my husband and I we'd love it. Yeah, we'll make a point to come, cause it's everything that you're describing are things that I've been missing lately.
Speaker 2:Just in life. You'll find it in Gargiulo's, that's for sure. Amazing.
Speaker 1:Well, what a sweet way to end huh, that was like a mic drop Like, and I'll share with everyone when we finally make our way there. But we end each of our conversations with the same three questions and I'd love to hear your answers to them as well. Something you have eaten recently and loved. We're just closing out the holidays, so I'm curious what you have to say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're just closing out the holidays. I'm curious what you have to say. Yeah, I haven't gotten out a lot in the past couple months, but there's one day of the year Always make time for me and my mother. We go to the city and we do the tree, we go to a Broadway show, we go out to dinner so that's always one day of the year that I look forward to.
Speaker 2:And we ate in a French restaurant called Marseille, and they had a sticky toffee bread pudding that was absolutely incredible to die for. I mean, the whole meal was great from start to finish, but that dessert just capped off the evening. It was really, really good. And then we saw Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger, if I'm saying that correctly. She was amazing. And then we saw the tree, which was great. And then we stopped by my friend's bar, bartley Dunn's, for a couple espresso martinis best in Manhattan and so, yeah, that was one of those days. I haven't really gotten out to eat as much as I would like to, but that was definitely one of the best things that I've eaten recently.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, For how close I am to New York. I don't get there enough, and my husband's more of like the outdoorsman. I'm like the city girl and I need to make a point to get there Cause I just like come alive. You know when you're talking about that I'm like man. That's my dream day. That's like that's the best. Um, I often tell my husband I'm like we live in the sticks. He's like you don't know what the sticks is.
Speaker 2:We're in Connecticut for us city folk.
Speaker 1:Um, okay, how about this? And it might be what you just the answer you just gave to, might be a crossover, but a gathering you attended that made you feel a strong sense of belonging and, if you could pinpoint it, what it was that made you feel that way?
Speaker 2:So I would say this is kind of a new tradition that I've started. A lot of my friends now are in the industry and they're actually almost all of them are from Ireland and they're actually almost all of them are from Ireland. So they're all involved in bars in different capacities who's an owner, who, you know, who's a bartender? But I started the tradition a couple of years ago Now this is one of my favorite times of the year and for me the biggest thing is I just want to be with my friends and I want to be with my family. Biggest thing is I just want to be with my friends and I want to be with my family. And again, for the industry, it's one of the busiest times of the year, so you can kind of get lost a little bit in the hustle and bustle. So I make it a point we set a date and we all go out to Peter Luger's in Great Neck and it's just. It's such a fantastic evening. I had two of my uncles come this year too, so it was all my friends, you know my family. It was just so good and the food was incredible.
Speaker 2:I love that because you know for me and I think you know any other people in the industry too. Like you have a rough day and you can say, oh, this customer did this, or you know the POS went down. You tell that to like one of my friends from college. You're like, oh, okay, you know, you tell it to somebody else who knows. It's like such a great springboard to have, because we all know what we're going through. We're going through the same things, yeah. So it's really I love it. It's important for me to have that kind of now and there's some of the best friends I could ever ask for. So that's kind of like one of those moments where it's like okay, I'm doing what I'm doing what I love, I'm doing what I'm, you know, meant to be doing and I'm surrounded by great people and great friends and family.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I can relate to that. There's there's so much power. I think life is a balance. You have to have people in your life that are different than you to like, challenge your like worldview, Right, but it's so important to have people that are in the same industry too, for that very thing, for that sense of belonging and understanding. Yeah, that's so good. Well, last but not least, something you've discovered lately that you think everyone should know about a random Amazon purchase, a Netflix show, anything like that.
Speaker 2:Again a little busy the past month, month and a half, so I haven't had too much time to discover anything.
Speaker 2:but I'm really looking forward to kind of sitting down in the new year and watching the pasta queen's new show on Amazon, I think. I think she's an incredible personality, I love her, all of her social content and everything like that. So I'm really looking forward to to having some time to be able to watch that, because from the looks of it the little bit that I have seen she's going up and down Italy. From the looks of it, the little bit that I have seen she's going up and down Italy and one of those things of showcasing traditions, showcasing local ingredients and recipes and just really highlighting the cultural aspects of Italy. So that's definitely one thing that's on my list that I'm looking forward to checking out.
Speaker 1:I've been trying to get her on the show for like a year. She's hard to get a hold of. What is it on again? What network it's on? Amazon? Is it really Cause I love her too? Yeah, that's so fun. I love when she like roasts different trends that are going around social media. It's so funny.
Speaker 2:She does, the one about breaking the pasta and things like that. Like I, I love those. I'm same boat as you are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the best. Oh, man. Well, this conversation warms my heart. Thank you so much for coming on.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Tell people where to find you again, for those that are interested.
Speaker 2:If you go on Instagram, youtube, tiktok, just type in Matthew Cutolo, hit the follow button and, like Mike DeBake said, if you want to learn, you got to watch. There's plenty of authentic Italian recipes and traditions that we highlight there.
Speaker 1:That's the best. I love that phrase so good. Well, guys, I hope this warmed your heart as much as it did mine, and we will see you next week.