New York in the Gay Nineties had
almost everything, except for a place where an opera lover, after
a night of Verdi or Puccini, could relax, play a Neapolitan card
game called "scopa" and
drink a cup or two of espresso.
This situation was remedied when
our great grandfather, Enrico Scoppa and my great grand-uncle,
Antonio Ferrara, opera impresario and showman, opened a cafe called
Caffé A. Ferrara. Caruso thought the
coffee marvelous but especially loved the cookies and cakes.
After World War I, my grandfather, Peter Lepore, a nephew of Antonio
Ferrara, had stowed away on a ship bound for New York.
At the beginning of the 1929 Depression, Peter married the daughter
of Enrico Scoppa. He was to spend the rest of his life at Ferrara's,
transforming a charming neighborhood cafe into a world famous shrine
of delicious tastes. Times were tough and in order to make sure there
was very little waste, they began to bake two, three and sometimes
four times a day, small batches of cookies and cakes. These difficult
circumstances were a blessing in disguise.
Because of the frequency with which
they baked, Ferrara acquired a great reputation for freshness.
This reputation and the fact that the Lepore's were devoted to
their business almost as much as to each other, enabled Caffé Ferrara
to grow and prosper.
Today, Ferrara is still a family owned business operated by the
fifth generation. And that's perhaps the most wonderful thing about
Ferrara's. Since its beginning in 1892, the spirit has changed very
little.
We welcome you to our newest location,
www.ferraracafe.com,
and hope you'll take a look around.
Saluti,
Peter & Ernest Lepore
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