First We Feast's

Food Skills

Season 1

July 09, 2018

The Mozzarella Kings of New York | Food Skills

Mozzarella isn't just a cheese, it's a work of art—at least the way it's made at Casa Della Mozzarella in the Bronx. Located on the corner of 187th Street and Arthur Avenue, the beloved Italian deli is helmed by father-son duo Orazio and Carlo Carciotto. Armed with little more than a pot of boiling water, a few pinches of salt, and an old wooden oar, the Carciottos pride themselves on turning blocks of lifeless cheese curds into molten cascades of creamy mozzarella. The shop is a stalwart in the Belmont section of the Bronx, and Carlo, in particular, was raised in the Italian enclave of Arthur Avenue—a strip of storefronts and restaurants increasingly referred to as NYC's "real" Little Italy. In this special installment of Food Skills, Carlo gives a behind-the-scenes tour of one of New York's most legendary neighborhoods, while Orazio breaks down the secrets to his uniquely American success story. In NYC, it's not difficult to a find a delicious pizza margherita, or a mind-blowing chicken parmigiana, but here, at Casa Della Mozzarella, cheese isn't just an ingredient, but a bucket-list meal all its own. 

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Food Skills
Every week “Food Skills” highlights the awe-inspiring culinary skills behind some of our favorite dishes—from the amazing art of hand-pulled noodles, to the high-flying tricks of the teppanyaki grill.