Do you know what’s awesome? Gelato. Never had it? Go get some. We promise you will not be disappointed. Here at The Mike McCann Team, we love our treats and gelato definitely tops the list as one of our all-time favorites. Our favorite place to indulge in this holiest of desserts is Capogiro Gelato. We were lucky enough to have a chance to speak with owner, John Reitano about the epic origin story of Capogiro and the future plans for his business.
John Reitano was born in Italy and moved to the United States when he was an infant. He made frequent trips throughout his life to Italy to visit family which offered him the opportunity to explore a lot of authentic Italian food specialties. He recalls his mother grumbling over the difficulty of finding an authentic Cappuccino in the U.S., much less a scoop of Gelato. He became inspired to bring authentic Italian delicacies to the U.S. at an early age.
Reitano put his food motivations on hold momentarily in order to obtain a degree in psychiatry but in 2001 he felt the urge to start a business. His wife, after trying her first gelato on a trip to Capri, agreed that that they must open a gelateria. Thus, Capogiro Gelato, rated the number 1 ice cream shop in the WORLD by National Geographic, was formed form the creative forces of John and Stephanie Reitano.
John and Stephanie genuinely enjoy being on the front lines of their business, hustling, creating and expanding. They frequently take trips to Italy for inspiration and work with a variety of local and international food artisans. They love working in Philadelphia and contributing to the already amazing food scene. The Reitanos are active in the community, contributing to a long list of charitable causes. They also have an extreme appreciation for the support they have received from Philadelphians.
If the tremendous success of Capogiro is not enough already, we have some big news as well! The Reitanos plan on opening a new project in the very, very near future. They have recently uncovered a love for making Neapolitan pizza during a trip to Naples and they plan to feature it in a new Pizzeria. The new restaurant, Capofitto, will serve pizza straight out of the brick oven, their infamous gelato, quality coffee, wine, beer and cocktails. That’s right, a pizza shop opened by the geniuses behind Capogiro, we don’t know about you guys, but we will be first in line on opening day!
