Hot and new can steal the spotlight, but what about longstanding local favorites? Each month, we’ll visit a Richmond-area restaurant that has been in business 15 years or longer.
Nino Palazzoto of Cupertino’s NY Bagels and Deli (Photo by Jay Paul)
Proprietor Nino Palazzotto has been at the helm of Cupertino’s NY Bagels and Deli for the past decade, but his story has a humble beginning.
“I was hired as a ‘dough guy’ by the original owner, Walter Baietti,” he says.
After leaving the shop for a job at the now-shuttered Cafe Caturra, Palazzotto received a call from his old boss. “In 2014, he called me up, asking me to come back, and I came back as manager.”
Baietti retired shortly after, and Palazzotto then stepped into the ownership role.
“When Mr. Baietti started Cupertino’s, which is named after his grandfather, back in 2007, there really weren’t any local bagel shops around,” Palazzotto says. “Cupertino’s filled a niche.”
While there are now a few more players on the scene, Cupertino’s carries the distinction of being Richmond’s oldest bagel shop. Palazzotto proudly explains that their traditional Jewish-Austrian recipe creates what he calls the quintessential NYC bagel: “a hard crust and a soft, chewy inside.”
Offering the classic Big Apple bagel was the original mission and inspiration for Cupertino’s, and the shop remains focused on that goal after all these years.
“Our repeat business ... is 75%,” Palazzotto says. “Some folks we see every day, some folks come in for breakfast and lunch, too.”
The bagels at Cupertino’s share the stage with a variety of deli staples, including pastrami, sailor and club sandwiches. All the breads are baked fresh in the store daily.
“We have people coming from Petersburg, Chesterfield, Ashland to come here,” Palazzotto says. “We’re very grateful for that, and we want to keep the quality.”
