With St. Joseph’s Day coming up on March 19, local pastry shops in Bronx Little Italy are rolling out special sweet offerings to celebrate the holiday.
Traditional St. Joseph’s Day desserts include Zeppole di San Giuseppe or Sfingi di San Giuseppe, which are cream-filled Italian pastries topped with powdered sugar and fruit. Every year, local pastry shops offer their own take on these sweet treats to commemorate the life of St. Joseph.
Here are a few in the Bronx Little Italy:
Artuso Pastry Shop (670 East 187th Street) – Artuso offers zeppole and sfingi, available now through Easter – or while supplies last. Their zeppole is filled and topped with vanilla custard cream and Amarena cherries, while the sfingi is filled and topped with rich cannoli cream with candied citrus fruit, glazed cherry, and sprinkles. Each pastry costs $5.95 in store. National shipping and delivery are available on their website or on UberEats, DoorDash and GrubHub.
DeLillo Pastry Shop (610 E 187th Street) – Celebrating over 100 years in business, DeLillo Pastry Shop carries sfingi and zeppole for St. Jospeh’s Day. Sfingi features cannoli cream, topped with glazed cherry and candied orange, while the zeppolefeature custard with glazed cherries. Pastries are $5.00 each in store and are also available for delivery through GrubHub or UberEats.
Egidio Pastry Shop (622 E 187th Street) – Egidio Pastry has been using the same recipes for their St. Joseph pastries since 1912 – that’s 114 years! The sfingi feature ricotta cream, bergamot orange and a glazed cherry. The St. Joseph zeppole feature custard cream and an Amarena cherry. The zeppole and sfingi are $7.50 to eat in-store and $6.95 to-go.
Gino’s Pastry Shop (580 E 187th Street) – Gino’s has celebrated the tradition of St. Joseph’s Day for more than 60 years with their deep-fried St. Joseph zeppole with vanilla custard and Amarena cherries, as well as their St. Joseph sfingi stuffed with cannoli cream and topped with diced orange citron. Both pastries are fried fresh daily and are $5 each. Shipping is available. Call the shop for more information at (718) 584-3558.
Madonia Bakery (2348 Arthur Avenue) – The Madonia Bakery bakes their St. Joseph pastries sfingi with a small-batch choux pastry dough and in the oven – a method true to their Sicilian roots. Customers can choose from a homemade egg custard or sweet ricotta filling. Pastries are available in-store through St. Joseph’s Day weekend, March 22.
Morrone Pastry Shop & Café (2349 Arthur Ave) – Morrone keeps it traditional by carrying St. Joseph zeppole with custard, topped with an Amarena cherry, and St. Joseph sfingi featuring cannoli cream, topped with a candied orange slice and a glazed cherry. Each at $6.50 in-store.
Pastry photos courtesy of the businesses.
Top Bigstock photo by Sidney de Almeida
