QUEENS — Benvenuto Cipollina!
A new gourmet market soft-opened this weekend in Forest Hills offering a variety of imported Italian specialty foods, from Galloni prosciutto di Parma to the best olive oils straight from Sicily, the owners said.
Cipollina, at 116-09 Queens Blvd., near 77th Avenue, which will also include a cafe and bakery, isn't fully stocked yet, but is expected to fill up later this month, according to the owners.
The store — named after a small onion often used in Italian cuisine — offers a variety of Italian coffees, olive oils and balsamic vinegars, tomato sauces, as well as original Italian cheeses and desserts.
Following its opening, local residents immediately began posting pictures and comments on a neighborhood Facebook page expressing their excitement and welcoming the new store.
Michele Dore, local resident and activist, visited the store on its first day on Friday.
“I was checking daily waiting for the brown paper covering their windows to be taken down,” Dore said. “It is such a great addition to our neighborhood, we really needed a place like this.”
Dore said she purchased a variety of items which are otherwise difficult to find in the neighborhood.
“They carry the famous sauces of the NYC restaurant Il Mulino," she said. "I purchased the Vodka sauce, fresh bocconcini balls and amazingly tasting bread. I can't wait to return and browse their new items and relax there sipping a good cappuccino.”
Christine Principato, 27, who lives in the neighborhood and runs the store along with her husband and her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from the northern Italian region of Liguria, said she feels “overwhelmed just how kind everyone has been in the community.”
Among the best-selling items so far, Principato said, are gelato parfait cups — frozen desserts imported from Italy in flavors ranging from stracciatella to black cherry; Galloni prosciutto di Parma and "pearls," which contain truffle and vinegar oil, perfect for salads and crostinis, she said.
The store also boasts a variety of spreads, sparkling sodas, cheese and pastas including gluten-free, wheat and organic options.
Principato's father, Antonio, who “makes the best cappuccino in town,” prepares espressos, cappuccinos, lattes and Italian hot chocolate, using coffee from the Illy and Lavazza companies, she said.
Patrons can also buy fresh bread from Il Forno, an Italian bakery in the Bronx, and a number of Italian cookies and cakes, including several kinds of panettone.
Cippolina also offers custom gift boxes and baskets for the holidays.
The owners are still working on the store's seating area, where patrons will be able drink coffee and eat light snacks, like sandwiches or salads.
