A February 2018 feature story in the New York Times described Little Italy as having “shrunk to a name on a street map and at most-a three-block stretch of red-sauce joints on Mulberry Street patronized almost entirely by tourists.” While Chinatown expanded its borders, Little Itay kept diminishing.

But don’t tell that to John Delutro, the owner of the dessert shop Caffe Palermo on Mulberry Street in the heart of Little Italy. He opened it in 1973 with an investment he vows of $50 when he was 17-years-old and served at the outset as its barista, server and dishwasher. And now 50 years later, he’s doing his best to keep Little Italy alive and well.