Business of the Week: Café Piccolo, Mahopac
By Janine Bowen
A Mahopac Café is offering up a little taste of Italy, thanks to an owner with a lifetime of bakery experience.
Café Piccolo has been a Mahopac staple for the last 17 years, when owner Tony Piccolo moved into the area after getting married, and opened the business with his brother-in-law.
“Everybody was talking about Mahopac; it’s a good place to raise kids. My brother-in-law has been living up here for 30 years so he more or less knew the area,” said Piccolo.
Prior to moving to Putnam County, Piccolo, an Italian immigrant, lived in the Bronx, where he entered the bakery business at age 14. He started out working in his cousins Italian-American bakery, washing dishes and cleaning up, and eventually worked his way up in the business. He worked in several other establishments in the Bronx, where he learned more about the industry and different styles of baking.
Despite his experience, Piccolo faced some challenges when opening his own café nearly two decades ago. Although he found a business partner in his brother-in-law and received support from the family, Piccolo was the only person who had knowledge about the baking industry. His brother-in-law, who owns a hair salon in Katonah, worked on the business end, while Piccolo’s friends from the Bronx would come up to the suburbs to assist on the bakery side. He stated that, often times, he would work from morning to night to keep the business running smoothly.
Now, however, the Café has found success, offering up traditional Italian cookies and pastries, as well as French and American offerings. Piccolo states that the most popular item in the café is the rainbow cookies, which generate a lot of buzz amongst customers. He believes the secret to the success of Café Piccolo lies in the quality food and excellent service and atmosphere.
“I think we give out a pretty good product, we treat people nice and friendly, and that’s it. It’s friendly, cozy, and it like you feel at home,” said Piccolo.
Café Piccolo is located at 937 South Lake Blvd in Mahopac. Its phone number is 845-628-2233.
