it, they got it, and you must have it! Speaking of must haves, we stopped in Iannelli’s bakery for some Best of Philly Tomato Pie, and were greeted by 3rd generation storeowner, Vince Iannelli. The pie was outstanding, if you haven’t done it, do it and don’t be surprised if you find your brain telling you to do it again …and again. While we were deciding whether “to do it again”, we observed an influx of customers ascending the Iannelli’s stoop, embarking on their mission, and then descending back into society, but now with a happy, smiling face. Vince seemed to know exactly what they wanted, here’s the kicker: before they asked for it. We’re not talking about anticipating the regulars’ needs, but the “out of towners”!! He seemed to anticipate their desires; with a sort of Italian Market telepathy, he was reading their minds. A woman from New York came in with a strong hankering for a cannoli, before the words came out of her mouth, they came out of his…and a crispy-shelled pastry was then placed in her anxious hand. This inherent intuition seems prevalent throughout the entire market. The stores are very attuned to who is walking through their doors and
they seem to always anticipate what they want! To further perpetuate the accommodating nature of the market, Vince offered to walk us down to his cousin Anthony’s water ice store, where he thought we might enjoy a cool treat, after our savory slice. Anthony Cardullo, 3rd generation owner of John’s Water Ice, quickly offered us some all-natural flavored ice. We saw pictures of President Obama enjoying his stop at John’s Water Ice from June of last year. It must be that everybody has to taste the ice! We ordered chocolate, a hard to come by flavor, if not in the city of brotherly love. Vince shared with us that he likes to mix the pineapple water ice with Malibu Rum when concocting adult refreshments. We found out John’s Water Ice is actually used in a handful of cocktail recipes around town, don’t be surprised to find this on a future RFM best kept secrets list! While the Italian Market landscape has a very Old World feel, behind the scenes, many of the stores have started to adopt New World practices. I met with Louis Sarcone Jr., 4th generation storeowner, of Sarcone’s Bakery. He shared with us that he’s been incorporating more
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