It’s no secret we love to eat anything sweet and decadently fattening! That brings me to Brooklyn Biscuit Tortoni Co. You’re asking what’s a tortoni. First of all anything from Brooklyn (now) is super cool. The name alone makes you want to dive into this luscious dessert. While recently in Florida I sampled one…okay two! Who says you can’t have two desserts? What a treat! They were amazing, and I highly recommend serving this delicious dessert. I’m so excited to interview the owners of Brooklyn Biscuit Tortoni Co. and share with you how they’ve brought this dessert back. Yes, it’s caloric (but not as bad as you’d think) and loaded with all yummy ingredients. Hope you enjoy our interview and don’t worry that’s calorie free. You know I only blog about the best. One Tortoni goes with everything in your closet!! File under #moregoodies
1.What is Brooklyn Biscuit Tortoni? What’s the significance of Brooklyn?
BBTC: It’s a semi-freido (softly frozen) almond flavored custard-style mousse. It’s made with six fresh ingredients; no fillers, nothing artificial, and no preservatives. We call it “a creamy, dreamy, taste embrace.” It found its way to the Northeast United States, particularly Brooklyn, NY, and quickly became a dessert that every Italian restaurant of note would serve. It was very popular in the 1950s and apparently drifted into the wind, but those who remember it love it. That’s why we brought this incredible dessert back!
2.Where does the dessert originate from?
BBTC: The dessert originates from Paris, France. It was created in 1898 by an Italian chef named Giuseppe Tortoni in a cafe called Cafe Tortoni. This nostalgic dessert had a significant presence through the years: first in France, then as the centuries passed, it traveled its way to (Italian) Brooklyn, NY and was often served after an Italian Wedding ceremony.
3.Where is the dessert made? What are the ingredients?
BBTC: The dessert is made in our commercial kitchen in the Sarasota (Florida) area. The ingredients are all pure. We use local products such as Daikin Dairy Cream and Davidson’s Pasteurized Eggs for peace of mind especially since the dessert is served frozen. We don’t use any artificial flavors, additives or chemicals.
4.How many calories?
BBTC: Incidentally the caloric content is lower than one might expect. Our standard size has only 130 calories! It wasn’t intended to be a low-cal dessert, but we did want it to be light and airy for our Florida clientele.
5.Where is BBTC sold? Will you promote this dessert throughout the country?
BBTC: We currently sell our desserts in the Sarasota/Manatee area. Our very first customer, Mozzarella Fella in Sarasota has a display freezer, especially for our dessert. We work with the Sarasota Opera, organizations such as We Care Manatee, and recently had an order placed from a local Vietnamese Restaurant! We also take requests and will ship.
6. Who is your customer? Do you have a free standing shop? Are you a wholesaler?
BBTC: We are a wholesaler to restaurants, events, parties, and caterers. Weddings are becoming very big for us!
7. How do you promote the dessert? Word of mouth? Press?
BBTC: We utilize social media, press contacts and word of mouth. We also participate in many events throughout the year. We’ve been featured in SarasotaDay, Edible Magazine, and will be featured this March in the Sarasota Magazine as well. We are pleased that our product speaks to people as well. Out tortoni dessert was featured on ABC-7 Suncoast View. Their anchor team in loved it! The assignment editor couldn’t stop raving about it! He remembered the Tortoni from family gatherings as a child who grew up in NY. We recently donated our desserts to a fashion show raffle for a local charity.
8. I remember this dessert from “my younger days.” What made you bring this dessert back?
BBTC: For that reason, exactly. One can often sit and go back to favorite memories of family, childhood and things that make you feel warm and cozy. The Tortoni is one of those cozies! We love seeing the expression on our customer’s faces after they tasted our luscious dessert. The looks on their faces are priceless. We also make a delicious cheesecake! Please be sure to look for us on Facebook and our Website.
XOXO,
