Island City
TWICE THE TREATS
32 DECEMBER 2 0 1 9
Astoria’s getting cooler, and not
just because winter has arrived:
Two locations of a gelateria are
opening up in the neighborhood.
Gelateria and coffee bar
Vanila N Bean brought Italian
tradition to Ditmars Boulevard when its
first shop opened on Nov. 12. Its second
location is scheduled to open on Astoria’s
34th Avenue in February.
Owner and founder Charlie DiMaggio
has a family history of producing
and selling Italian treats. Born in Sicily,
DiMaggio grew up learning his father’s
craft while working in the family’s cafes
and gelaterias.
When he was 8, DiMaggio and his
family moved to Astoria. As he grew
up, he pursued a career in the corporate
world, but he recently decided to
return to his roots to create Vanila N
Bean.
“He wanted to bring something of
quality and heritage to the Ditmars
area,” said Joseph Ali, one of the managers
of Vanila N Bean.
To achieve this, all of the ingredients
for Vanila N Bean’s gelatos are imported
directly from Italy. The gelato is then
FOOD + DRINK
BY SAMANTHA WANDERER