Coronavirus

Only in Print: Bensonhurst Bakery Rolls With the Punches Amidst COVID-19

From Sicily to southern Brooklyn: Villabate Alba bakery prepares authentic Italian treats like pastries, chocolate, coffee, cakes and breads. (Photo: Melissa Enaje)

BENSONHURST — Emanuele Alaimo couldn’t predict that in the middle of Lent, a pandemic was going to impact his Brooklyn-based small business. He said the economic effects of coronavirus are just getting started.

“As I said, it will get a lot worse before it gets better,” Alaimo said. “By next week, the unemployment rate will skyrocket. Hold on tight.”

Alaimo is the owner of Villabate Alba, the family-owned Italian bakery and a culinary
staple for the local Catholic community…


The rest of this article can be found exclusively in the March 21 printed version of The Tablet. You can buy it at church for $1, or you can receive future editions of the paper in your mailbox at a discounted rate by subscribing here. Thank you for supporting Catholic journalism.