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Eat this: Babà at Emozioni Pasticceria
When I found out that Emozioni Pasticceria has a new home in Soquel Village, I breathed a sigh of relief. I fell in love with pastry chef Crescenzo Pelliccia’s glamorous, high-end pastries and traditional Neapolitan desserts when he had a small bakery inside Lago di Como in Live Oak, but since the restaurant remodeled last March, Emozioni has been looking for a new home. It continued to offer catering services and did the occasional pop-up, but that’s nothing compared to being able to stop in whenever a craving for chef Enzo’s beautifully crafted treats strikes.
In March, Pelliccia and business partner Michele Tartaglia opened a little shop on a courtyard just off Porter Avenue. The shop is still in its early days – a market, expanded menu and outdoor seating are forthcoming – but I can’t tell you my relief when I walked into the shop and saw a tray of plump, glossy babà. To me, it doesn’t get more Neapolitan than this rum-soaked cake, and Pelliccia’s version is exquisite. The buttery, spongy babà is sweet and bouncy, while the rum flavor warms your palate. It’s decadent, not too sweet, and utterly Italian.
Learn more about the new bakery in my story on Lookout, out earlier Friday.
2841 Porter St., Suite B, Soquel, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday.
Best of the Week Ahead
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
News of the week
ICYMI – here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed.
- Live Oak School District’s farm-to-cafeteria nutrition program gets students involved and eating healthier (Lookout)
- Dungeness crab season to close locally on April 8 to protect migrating whales (Lookout)
- Laurie Love on Wine: Cabernet to sparkling, chardonnay to pinot, Grand Tasting wows again (Lookout)
- Live Oak farmers market gets 30-day reprieve, can stay at East Cliff lot through April (Lookout)