"Biagio Settepani, owner of Bruno's Cafe in Staten Island, has been making panettone for over 40 years. He believes that American consumers have many misconceptions about it, but the hardest barrier to entry is the cost of a handmade loaf. 'You see a commercial panettone for $5.99 at Costco,' he said. 'You come to my shop and it's 30 dollars. What the consumer gets at Costco, that product is done a year before.' At Bruno's, where Settepani's son Joseph is executive pastry chef, Settepani sells fresh panettoni, almost always made only three days before. 'Sometimes you have to explain to people when they say, ‘Oh my god, you’re so expensive.’ You’re welcome to come and see the process of making panettone.'" - Dayna Evans
Eater
