QUEENS — A new gourmet market, offering imported Italian specialty foods, will soon open in Forest Hills.
Cipollini, named after a small onion commonly used in Italian cuisine, is slated to open in early November at 116-09 Queens Blvd., near 77th Avenue, the owners said.
The store will offer a variety of tomato sauces and purees, different olive oils and balsamic vinegars, as well as original Italian cheeses, like Parmigiano-Reggiano, the owners said.
“If you are having friends over for dinner and you want to make something special, you [will be able to get] a special type of pasta, some truffle oil and a nice loaf of bread,” said Christine Principato, 27, who will run the store along with her husband as well as her parents, who came to the U.S. from the northern Italian region of Liguria.
The store will also include a cafe, where customers can drink an Italian coffee and eat light snacks, like sandwiches or salads, Principato said.
The store will use coffee from the Illy and Lavazza companies which will be prepared by Principato's father, who “is very passionate about it and will bring a piece of real Italy to America.”
Principato, who lives on the Kew Gardens and Forest Hills border, said the family decided to open the store because they felt “there was something missing in this neighborhood.”
“There really wasn’t anything like this,” she said.
She also noted that “it’s a very diverse neighborhood” and they “wanted to add to that diversity.”
Principato promises that in terms of prices the store will try to “accommodate everyone.”
