Bustling Graham Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is known for an array of famed Italian American businesses. There’s the decades-old landmark Emily’s Pork Store, neighborhood restaurant and sports bar Carmine and Son’s, the viral Anthony and Son’s Panini Shop, and veteran pizza shop stalwart Tony’s, just to name a few.
And while some beloved businesses have closed in recent years (RIP Frost), there’s a new kid on the block in the form of Danny Mondello, but you might otherwise know him as Cug (slang for the Italian word for cousin).
He’s a social media superstar who has collected a couple million followers thanks to his videos where Mondello speaks in his gruff accent boasting a sharp-as-provolone wit, undying passion for Italian food, and trademark catchphrases, like his sign-off “Take care, brush ya hair!”
He’s parlayed his vast following into Casa Cugine, which opened on Graham earlier this year and has quickly become a neighborhood staple. Inside, Mondello sells an array of Italian pantry items and sweet Italian pastries (cannolis and sfogiatella, among them). There’s also espresso, creamy gelato and a signature food menu overflowing with Instagram-worthy speciality heroes and paninis, piled high with ingredients like prosciutto, mozzarella and peppers.
Since its opening, scores of Cug’s followers have made a pilgrimage for a sang-weech, with Casa Cugine even scoring a shoutout in The New York Times. To find out what the fuss is about, I met Cugine on a recent sunny afternoon on his perch on a folding chair on the sidewalk and, while sharing a salami, fontina and sun-dried pepper glaze panini, we talked shop. Hungry yet?
So Cug, how did the shop come to life?
It was called Cafe Capri back in the day (which was known for its signature iced coffee). Then it was another coffee shop. When they ended up closing, the space was available. So, I partnered with Anthony and Son’s around the corner, and we said, “Let's do something!” It's not that it wasn't a dream, but this wasn't planned.
Casa Cugine is made in your image: there’s tomato sauce and gelato alongside pregnancy tests and Advil. How did you go about building what the store sells?
Yeah, we kind of threw like some of that stuff in there, just 'cause it's funny, you know what I mean? We’re still figuring out what the neighborhood wants. When it came to the food, I wanted smaller paninis, like what you would see in Italy in a case. That’s what the sandwiches are based off of, for example. My favorites are the roast beef sandwich, or the ‘Brazhoot of Happiness,’ with prosciutto, mozzarella, vinegar peppers and a cacio e pepe spread.
How did you go about creating the sandwiches?
I've always worked in food. My first jobs were in a few delis growing up in Staten Island. So I was prepping for this shop before I even knew I was, you know what I mean? It kind of came naturally. I kind of know what works and what doesn't. So it was pretty easy.
What are your thoughts on the state of Italian-American food influencing today? It seems to have become a major business, and your following and this shop is a testament to that.
I find that with this shop, I've had people from the UK or Australia come visit. Someone just showed up from Iceland! So the reach is far bigger than what you think. You don't know how big the bubble goes, but with Italian-American social media, there's a few that own it and we all came up and stuck together and that's important. When one wins, we all win. It helps everyone level up and motivates everybody else.
You’re also helping keep it alive, especially the old slang in your videos. Is that a conscious effort?
Yeah, it's fun to bring back what your grandmother and grandfather used to say; that kind of old world language that might have gotten lost in the mix. But we try to make it fun. There's always been this obsession with Italian-American culture because of Goodfellas and The Godfather, but most people aren't like that, of course. Most people are just regular working people. It’s romanticized, but the reality is we're just chefs, finance people, doctors, nurses, cops and firemen.
Who have been your most memorable customers so far?
There's always some crazy interactions. There's a lot of characters that come by who are way funnier than me. I'm funny on camera, but I always say that my friends, especially back home in Staten Island, they're way funnier. I'm not that funny in person, but on camera I'm funny.
Okay, Cug. Italian-food speed round. Are you ready? Date, marry, kill: Rainbow cookies, Pignoli cookies, Biscotti?
Marry rainbow. I guess I would date the biscotti and kill the pignoli. I don't really eat pignoli cookies that much, it’s a dying cooking, unfortunately. They're extremely expensive, too.
Gagoots and eggs, or sausage and peppers?
Sausage and peppers. Easy! We just finished Feast season, and I had a lot of those.
Favorite type of Cannoli: Plain, chocolate chips, orange slice, and/or with cherries?
I like the way Bensonhurst’s Villa Abate Alba does it, with the orange slice and ricotta from Sicily.
Your top Italian restaurants in New York?
Bamonte’s in Williamsburg, Michael’s of Brooklyn, Parkside in Corona, Queens, Carbone, Torrisi. I know I’m missing a bunch, but those are the heavy hitters.
Tomato sauce, vodka sauce, or red sauce?
Red. Easy!
Ideal bread accompaniment: a plain olive oil, olive oil with balsamic, or butter?
Butter.
Really? I’m surprised. That’s not Italian.
Bread and butter, you can’t beat it. It might be American or French, but how much Italian food could you eat at the end of day? You gotta eat some other cuisine.
Here’s a controversial one, so answer carefully: Is it called gravy, or is it sauce?
I grew up saying sauce. I think it's sauce. You wanna call it gravy, call it gravy! I don't really care. It's kind of just wherever you're from. I think in Philadelphia they call it gravy. New York I think calls it sauce. Whatever you want to eat, as long as it's good.
Speaking of sauce, what’s your go-to recipe?
I’m simple: just nice olive oil, chopped up garlic, crushed tomato, whole tomatoes and then crush 'em. Fresh basil, fresh parley, salt, pepper. It's like a run-of-the-mill kind of sauce. I think it's just the quality of the tomatoes. And also it’s about what kind of tomatoes you like. Sweet or no?
Are you putting red wine in the sauce?
Sometimes. I mean, if I have it laying around, yeah. If I'm just doing a regular sauce with macaroni with no meat, then no. But like if you do meat, then you could get nuts with the red wine. Throw some like grated cheese in there and funk it up a bit. Meatballs, sausage.
Long hots or sweet roasted peppers?
Long hots are good, but they don't like me, so I like roasted red peppers. Emily's Pork Store in Williamsburg has great peppers.You don't really see those kinds of stores too often anymore. It's a shame.
Just based on the way it sounds, what’s your favorite slang to say: gab-a-gool or ga-nool?
Gabagool is undefeated. Though it's kind of funny. I think people don't even know what gabagool is. I didn't really eat it too much growing up, but like, I guess when I order it, I do say it like that because it’s funny.
Another really controversial one: when it comes to meatballs, do you prefer fried, baked, or simmered in the sauce?
That's kind of funny because I grew up and my mother would fry 'em. But when I do it, 'cause I don't really want to waste dishes and wash dishes, I kind of just simmer 'em in the sauce. I do like it that way. I think they come out nice and tender and I think it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. But I'm not against them baking it or frying.I think frying it is good if it's like a meatball parm sandwich. Baking is good if you’re mass producing them.
And finally, what’s your least favorite Italian food?
Tripe. I never got along with it, it's also very old world. I've had it a couple of times. I just couldn't get in my head around it. It's a good thing, not my thing.
