Cannoli King Still Reigns over Little Italy, But Hints He May Be Nearing End of 50 Year Run

Although Little Italy native John “Baby John” DeLutro was busy serving up his famous cannoli at the Feast of San Gennaro, which ran from Sept. 12 to 22nd, he made time to chat with his childhood friends that returned to their old neighborhood for the iconic festival.

“People from all the world that know me come to see me. Besides my customers, the locals, people I grew up with who moved out of the neighborhood, come back,” he said. “And that’s the only time I see all these people.”

DeLutro, 71, who was born and raised on Mulberry Street, opened Caffé Palermo in 1973, when he was just 17 years old. Two decades later he started making cannoli using his Neopitlan grandmother’s recipe and adding a special ingredient of his own, and was crowned the “Cannoli King” by his loyal customers.

His hand-crafted cannoli went on to gain national fame from making appearances on shows like “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and “Rachael Ray,” and DeLutro has served countless celebrities from Clint Eastwood to Katie Holmes to Ray Ramon and the late James Gandolfini.

The renowned shop owner, who last year added Baby John’s Pizzeria adjacent to Caffé Palermo, is currently looking for a new location in which to peddle his cannoli and coffee—Times Square. However, he plans on hanging up his apron in the near future, which his customers are not handling well.

“I really want to retire in two more years, but my customers are fighting me. They don’t want me to retire,” he said.

“They’re all sending me letters. People don’t want me to quit. ‘Where we gonna go? If we lose you on Mulberry Street Baby John, there’s no more Mulberry Street. You are Mulberry Street.’ You know, I’m the last of the Mohicans.”

DeLutro, a father of four daughters, said if he does one day sell the business, he will still keep his hand in it.

“Maybe instead of working eight days a week, maybe I’ll work three or four,” he said.

“So I got some time with my family. Because it’s not about money anymore. I don’t need the money. It’s about living a good healthy life and enjoying your family.”

Caffé Palermo has been on Mulberry Street for over 50 years. Did you open it by yourself?

I opened in 1973 at 17 years old with a $50 investment. I had no refrigeration for two years. Every night I used to buy my cake and I used to put it on top of the table and at night time, take it home, put it in my house, my grandmother’s refrigerator, my neighbor’s refrigerator. I’d take the cake down every day and I opened up after school. I went to St. Patrick’s [a since neighborhood Catholic school adjacent to the Basilica of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral] After St. Patrick’s, I went to John Jay for six months, then I went to the School for Young Professionals.

Your mom was from Naples and your father was from Sicily. Were they in the business?

My father was in the restaurant business. My grandmother was always in the food business. My mom had a seafood stand at the feast for about 20 years. But she passed away, she was 39 years old, in a car accident. And I kept the store in memory of my mom and I decided to put a coffee shop there.

When you first started, Caffé Palermo was a coffee shop, so when did the cannoli start getting made?

The cannoli came later on, 20 years after I was in business.

How did you come up with the recipe?

Actually, my grandmother who was Sicilian should have given me the recipe, because she was from Palermo. But my Neopolitan grandmother gave me the recipe. And later on in years, I put a little special ingredient in my cannoli cream, and that’s how I became famous.

So who gave you the nickname Cannoli King?

My customers named me Cannoli King and it stuck with me for all these years.

How have you seen the neighborhood of Little Italy change?

The neighborhood has changed drastically. There’s no more Italians on Mulberry Street and that’s a crime. San Gennaro used to be an Italian festival. It’s still a great festival, but it’s an international festival. People from all over the world come and honor us.

You’ve overcome health issues.

I had two open heart surgeries. My last one was on February 14, Valentine’s Day. They gave me everything but a new heart. I’ll be around until I’m 95. That’s why I have so much strength. I work eight days a week. I work about 80 hours a week. And I’ve been doing this for a long time. I also had leukemia. I’m in remission about 14 years now. The only way you heal in this world is by not thinking about it. You got to go to work, you got to keep your mind occupied, you got to keep busy.

Are you opening a location in Times Square?

I’m looking for a location now in Times Square, yes. Times Square is going to be a whole different new business. It’s strictly going to be outgoing, no dishes, all paper supplies. Coffee in a container, pastry in a container, cannoli in wax paper. I’ll need a little kitchen with a refrigerator and a sink, a mixer to make my cannoli cream or bring my cannoli cream there already made. It’d be a no-brainer operation.

What are your most popular menu items?

My cannoli, they’re number one. My lobster tails are great. My tiramisu is off the wall.

You also opened a pasta restaurant.

It’s called The Pasta Boss, located opposite Caffé Palermo. I had a great chef from Naples, but a dirty chef. I wasn’t happy with him. He was very lazy and he hurt my business so I closed it down. I was gonna get rid of it and sell it, but now I’m going to reopen it as The Pasta Boss again, hopefully in about two months. And in the interim, I opened up Baby John’s Pizzeria, which is located right next to Caffé Palermo. I got a pizza guy there who’s been making pizza for 38 years that took me over the clouds. His pizzas are phenomenal.

Tell us about the celebrities who visit.

I have a million celebrities that come in. I have what they call a Wall of Fame. The first actor I had in there in, I think it was 1975 or 1976, was Telly Savalas, Kojak. Clint Eastwood, Donna Summer, Madeleine Albright, Buddy Greco, Connie Francis, Danny DeVito, James Gandolfini, Katie Holmes. Ryan Seacrest, he’s the one who first started making my register jingle. He took me to 42nd Street and we made cannoli for everybody. I was seen all over the world, the year he took over the Dick Clark [New Year’s Rockin’ Eve] show. And then Rachael Ray had me on her show. She was great.

For more information, please visit www.caffepalermo.com