Satisfying that sweet tooth

Freehold just got a whole lot sweeter. Bruno’s Bakery, owned by the Settepani family, just expanded their business by adding a Gelateria in the adjacent room next to their bakery on Main Street.

The Gelateria had its soft opening in June and will be a host to many more events, such as a Festa Del Gelato over the summer.

Chef Joseph Settepani’s inspirations originate from his family roots in Sicily, with gelato being his most memorable childhood sweet summer treat, according to information about its opening.

Incorporating his favorite flavors from his roots in Sicily, Settepani is modernizing his father Biagio’s recipes to create a one-of-a-kind experience for his customers.

“When you walk into the bakery, I tell customers you’ll have the experience of being in Sicily,” Settepani said. “Having a gelato, but with an American twist to it.”

The shop will also offer sorbetto, baba dessert, and Brioche Con Gelato (a sandwich filled with gelato; Sicily’s version of an ice cream sandwich). Ooooh!

With special flavors like banana sorbet, cookies and cream, Settepani’s favorite Stracciatella (vanilla base with rum and chocolate chips), and other weekly flavors, there is something for everyone. These specialty flavors will include top-of-the-line ingredients, such as Nielsen Massey and Callebaut’s Mona Lisa brands.

“One of my younger employees told me I needed to do an ‘everything’ flavor,” Settapani said, saying he’s playing around with “an everything but the sink flavor.” “I go off of what my employees suggest because they give me such crazy flavors to work with.”

In November 2022, the Settepanis moved their family and their business from Staten Island, N.Y. to Freehold.

Originating in Manhattan, Bruno’s Bakery was taken over by Biagio Settepani, who kept the name to honor the original owner and continue his legacy, according to the younger Settepani.

After the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Biagio and his wife opened up two locations in Staten Island and closed the Manhattan one soon after that.

Biagio’s son, Joseph, helped him run the bakery after finding his passion in the pastry arts as well.

“The running joke is that I was born with a whisk and a spatula in my hand,” Settepani said.

His dad was one of the first Italians to bring the types of pastries and authenticity to New York, Settepani noted.

Settepani graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 2012 and then interned for Chef Gary Rulli in San Francisco.

Just a year later in 2013, he was offered a position to intern at the French Pastry School in Chicago as a pastry chef assistant. This is the school that made him realize he was passionate about the pastry world after visiting the school as a child with his father, according to Settepani.

“Something just clicked in Chicago,” he recalled. “I told my dad after that trip that, that’s what I want to do. So after that, I started stepping up my game in the bakery and learning as much as I could.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Settepani family moved to the Monmouth County area and closed one of its two Staten Island locations.

“On my way home from work one day, I was craving something sweet, but forgot something to bring home from the bakery so I started looking around the area of where I live and couldn’t really find anything,” Settapani said. “Before I go to the big-name grocery stores, I like to go to the mom-and-pop shops to support.”

In order to satisfy that sweet tooth closer to home, Settepani and his sister, Fina Pulaj, decided to open up the now current Freehold location of Bruno’s Bakery.

When the family came across a bright red barn that used to be an ice cream shop, they knew it was the perfect place for their new bakery.

Soon after receiving the Freehold location, the family closed the final Staten Island shop, making New Jersey the sole bakery.

“Being that [the past business] was already an ice cream shop, it made the decision much easier to open up the Gelateria,” Settepani said.

Settepani wanted to keep the tradition alive with adding the Sicilian twist to it. Making gelato is not new to Settepani, so it was an easy decision, but he wanted to add sundaes and other specialties.

He tested some of his flavors – serving almost 1,000 frozen treats – last year during the New York City Wine and Food Festival’s “Taste of Italy.”

As the summer continues and the list of Bruno’s Bakery customers grow, Settepani constantly looks forward to seeing all of the families come in to try their products.

“Seeing the smile on the peoples’ faces when they come in and see the desserts and they taste everything, just brightens up their day, especially the kids,” Settepani said.

“I always say, you’re always judged the hardest by a kid, because as an adult we already know what we like. Kids have no idea what things taste like yet, so when they take two bites out of something of mine and they like it, that’s how I know I’ve won.”

Today, Settepani, his wife Danielle and his sister Fina continue to serve Monmouth County, and surrounding areas at their new Bruno’s Bakery location.

“I am so grateful for the love we have been receiving from our community and we’re so excited that we opened the gelateria side of the business and we can’t wait for everyone to try it and enjoy it,” Settapani said. 

Bruno’s Bakery and its Gelateria are located at 356 W. Main St., Freehold.