Smile And Say ‘Cheesecake’

By Nancy K. Crevier

When sisters AnnMarie and JoJo D’Orazio moved to Monroe from the Bronx, six years ago, they could not seem to find a bakery that reflected the “Italian taste” with which they had grown up. As a matter of fact, the only time they could recapture that memory was when they were feasting on AnnMarie’s delicious baked goods. Friends and family raved about her New York and Italian cheesecakes, her extensive list of Italian cookies, and her specialty cakes baked for birthdays and holidays.

And when JoJo invited AnnMarie to bring her cakes and cookies to the craft fair where JoJo was selling her handmade jewelry, all of goodies sold out. “I knew we had something,” said JoJo, “so me and my bright ideas, I started looking for a place, and found it last fall.”

That was when she announced to AnnMarie that they were going into business.

DOrazio Sisters Cheesecakes & Goodies opened at 365 South Main Street, on the Newtown/Monroe town line last November 7, after a whirlwind of getting state certification as Quality Food Operators, permits, and finding a kitchen where AnnMarie and JoJo could turn out the dozens of fresh cookies and cheesecakes for the storefront. Baking is done at the Waterview in Monroe, and sold only in the South Main Street store.

DOrazio Sisters is housed in a tiny, white stucco building trimmed in bright blue, at the corner of Swamp Road and South Main Street, at the very edge of the Newtown town line. Despite the fact that it is destination specific, the store has already gained a loyal customer base, said JoJo.

“What makes our products stand out is that they are made from all natural ingredients. If you read the labels, you’ll see there are no extensive chemical names. People understand what is in our baked goods: butter, sugar, milk, cheese, and flour. People like that, and it tastes better, because it is all real food,” said JoJo.

AnnMarie, who does most of the baking, will not divert from her original recipes to save money, said JoJo. “She has a trust in true ingredients,” she said. Many of the cookie recipes come from the sisters’ grandmother, as does the recipe for the Italian cheesecake. “An Italian cheesecake is different from the New York-style cheesecake, because it is made with ricotta cheese. New York style,” she explained, “is made with cream cheese.” DOrazio Sisters offers both styles of cheesecake in the store, and boasts that the New York-style cheesecake AnnMarie bakes is “better than Junior’s,” the popular New York City chain of cheesecake purveyors.

Plain cheesecakes, available in four-, eight-, or nine-inch sizes, can be dressed up by toppings that include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apple, peach, lemon, fudge, caramel, and many other options. The cheesecakes themselves reflect the seasons: Bailey’s for St Patrick’s Day, or a chocolate drizzle on the top for Valentine’s Day. Amaretto cheesecake and Oreo cheesecake are other flavors that appear periodically in the refrigerated case.

Along with the cheesecakes, customers will find carrot cakes sized for two; miniature Italian cheesecakes; banana nut cupcakes topped with a cream cheese frosting; and pecan tarts. AnnMarie’s classic tiramisu is ladyfinger cookies layered with espresso, cocoa powder, and a mascarpone cream, with her own secret twist to the recipe.

Death By Chocolate is in great demand, said JoJo, a dessert consisting of layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate pudding, crushed Heath Bars, and whipped cream. “It should be called, ‘Live By Chocolate,’” declared one customer picking up a container of the decadent dessert.

If a longing for a genuine Italian cannoli needs to be assuaged, DOrazio Sisters can help. Crisp cannoli shells are kept on hand, ready to be filled to order with rich custard. Sfogliatelle, shell-shaped desserts with citron custard baked into the flakey pastry, are also for sale.

A long table in the center of the store groans under a load of Italian cookies: almond and anisette biscotti, sesame seed cookies, tri-color cookies, pignolia nut cookies, walnut butter balls, Linzer torte cookies, and butter cookies in designs that reflect the current holiday. The undecided shopper can select an assorted pack of cookies, containing “a little bit of everything,” said JoJo.

Pizzelles, a light vanilla wafer cooked in a special press and dusted with powdered sugar, are popular at DOrazio Sisters. The sisters also make chocolate dipped nuts and dried fruit, as well as chocolate-covered pretzels and other chocolate treats.

Cheesecakes are their forte, but DOrzaio Sisters bakes other special occasion cakes, too. “We will accommodate any flavors that people ask for, and hand decorate the cakes with buttercream, cream cheese, or chocolate frosting, or whatever the customer wants,” said JoJo. The celebration cakes are available in sizes from 7½-inch round to a half sheet pan that feeds 36 to 40 guests, or as cupcakes.

DOrazio Sisters custom makes gift baskets filled with cookies, biscotti, chocolate-covered nuts, fruits, and pretzels, and other treats. Premade gift baskets for the holidays are ready to grab and go.

Keeping up with the demand has been a challenge for the two-woman business — not that they are complaining — but that also means that everything in the store is as fresh as can be. “We have a big turnaround on our product,” JoJo said.

Customers stopping in for a birthday cake may find their birthday present dilemma solved at the same time: JoJo’s handcrafted jewelry of glass and natural stones and beads is sold at DOrazio Sisters. The necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and eyeglass chains are priced affordably, said JoJo. “It’s sort of a woman’s paradise in here,” she laughed. “Chocolate, jewelry, cheesecake — what more could you ask for?”

DOrazio Sisters Cheesecakes & Goodies, 365 South Main Street, Newtown, is open Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10 am to 4 pm; Thursday through Saturday, from 10 am to 7 pm; and closed Monday.

For more information or for special orders, call 203-270-3671 or contact doraziosisters@gmail.com.