By Haneen Alkabasi, intern
Free samples for the taking abound at this sweet spot, Famiglia Tedesco at the Bristol Bazaar. There are cheesecake samples, samples of tres leches and brittle, but there are no chocolate samples, and there may be a good reason for that.
La Famiglia Tedesco owner Jeff Tedesco said it takes 12 to 16 hours to make chocolate. He said he refined his own chocolate by using cocoa beans from Ecuador to create his chocolate bars.
“Whatever we make, we use quality ingredients and time-honored methods to produce our products,” Tedesco said. “Almost everything is done from scratch.”
Head pastry chef Nayomi Figueroa Collazo, lower left, among images from La Famiglia Tedesco at the Bristol Bazaar. | Haneen Alkabasi
Tedesco, who works alongside head pastry chef Nayomi Figueroa Collazo, said all desserts from flan to fudge are done by hand which is the way they are supposed to be. He said they take inspiration for several recipes from “The Cake Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
Collazo said about the partners that they balance each other out in the business and teach one another things.
“We try to focus on quality over trying to mass produce a lot,” Collazo said.
Tedesco said he wanted to start his own business after he retired. About three years later, a spin off called Jeff’s Kitchen at Rose Hill was formed. Located in Waterbury, the spin off features Tedesco’s handcrafted confections and Collazo’s baked specialties.
Collazo said Jeff’s Kitchen at Rose Hill also does catering so that occupies their time and requires teamwork, cooking and baking side-by-side.
“I grew up watching my mom in the kitchen,” Collazo said. “That’s how I started. I got more into cooking than baking.”
She said now she loves cooking as more of a hobby after she fell in love with baking.
La Famiglia Tedesco at the Bristol Bazaar, an indoor makers’ market, is one of many artisan shops with their wares for sale. The Bazaar, which also houses Yellow King Bristol, a coffee cocktail lounge, is located on Race Street and is open Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For a list of makers, go to the Bristol Bazaar website by clicking here.
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