A recent article declares “cannoli are taking over the dessert world.” The subhead predicts cannoli are “poised to be the next cupcake.” False as this refrain may be, the story provides a springboard to report on my recent visit to the exotic destination of … New Jersey.
Fieldwork brought me to Hoboken, where I conducted research at Carlo’s Bake Shop. The bakery is owned by TV personality Buddy Valastro of the Cake Boss brand. This marks my first visit to the celebrity bakery and my first New Jersey cupcakes.
Equipped with a box containing a vanilla cupcake, a classic cannoli, and a peanut butter cannoli, my research specimens and I worked remotely from a riverfront park with views of New York. Given the tristate location, I’m classifying this as Cupcakes in the Delicious Metropolis fieldwork.
According to the article, Carlo’s isn’t alone in its peanut butter flavor. It’s also found at a London shop called Casa Cannoli. Back stateside, the chef-owner of Del Gardo’s in Covington, Kentucky, has created more than 125 flavors since opening in 2018. Del Gardo’s self-identifies as the “best cannoli outside of New York!”
Quite a claim. Maybe it begs investigation.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 