"A Dying Italian Ember in a Gentrified Neighborhood”

This is “Cassinelli Pasta”, or just “Cassinelli”, as me and many others have always called it. Located in the heart of Astoria, Queens, this magnificent family oriented pasta shop has been around for 93 years. And since 1972, it’s been co-owned and ran by my great-uncle and godfather, Antonio (“Tony”) Bonfigli. It’s a place truly unlike any other in New York. From its unusual store hours of 7-2:30, open from Tuesday-Saturday, the employees of Cassinelli see fit to keep Italian tradition to take a family lunch, which tends to see the store partially shut down for half an hour. One of its most unique qualities is that 30 feet upon the store’s entrance lies two swing doors that allow the customers to view their pasta being freshly made before their very eyes. About 30 varieties of fresh pasta are made daily, with some of its most notable being their famous cappelletti and ravioli. Unfortunately, on April 22, 2023, Cassinelli’s will be forever lost as another moment in time. Hopefully it’s made its mark on everyone who stepped foot inside like it has mine. But it wasn’t just the dedication to keeping an Italian work style that made this place so special. It’s the generations of 3 families working together for longer than I’ve been alive. It’s the traditional Italian pasta’s that you’ll rarely find in the United States. It’s the sense of familiarity in a home that you no longer recognize.