FOOD: Italian Confections Come to Chelsea at Crave.it

On a particularly bella notte a few weeks ago, I noticed something different about my neighborhood. Someone different. Someone special.

He called to me—"Ragazza!"—and I couldn't help but stare. There, standing between the 24-hour McDonald's and the Village Yogurt, was an unexpected sight: a man offering me something I couldn't resist. A cart full of housemade gelato.

Looking past the cart, I saw a new business on the block. Crave.it is a recent addition to the NYC pastry scene, and brings the delectable desserts of Italy to the south-eastern border of Chelsea. The shop features large glass cases filled with bite-sized fruit tarts, baked goods and of course, ice cream's distant Italian cousin, gelato.

Leaving the sfogliatelle and pignoli to the old-world, Italian-Brooklyn style bakeries, Crave.it—with its affordable, precious pastries—seems to be well-suited for the green juice-drinking, Instagram-snapping generation. Happily, here is an instance where you can satiate your stomach along with your eyes (and the eyes of your followers), as the offerings taste as good as they look.

Both size and flavor are important to owner Selvaggia (Silvia) Pizzetti, who wants to educate New Yorkers on manageable portion sizes; how a single, delicious bite can satisfy one's craving for sweet. That's not to say there aren't larger portions available. There are, and they look wonderful, too; but the appeal of portable, miniature desserts is hardly waning.

This is Crave.it's first location, and along with snacks and Mokito coffee, Pizzetti also plans to offer wine and beer in the coming months. Guests will be able to enjoy a glass with some of the savory fare to be found, such as sandwiches, prosciutto and aperitivo-appropriate snacks, all while watching the action in the kitchen, which can be viewed through glass panes in the back dining room.

While originally from Rome, Pizzetti has lived in New York for quite some time, and calls Brooklyn home. She went to Columbia for journalism and spent some time at CNN. But, a true foodie, she could not resist the lure of the food industry, and came up with the concept of Crave.it to indulge her need for more excitement.

Excitement is coming to the neighborhood in the form of mini-pizzas and peach-saffron gelato. A few other projects are in the works, for instance: the team is testing a flavored syrup-infused tea, which Pizzetti enthusiastically demonstrated for me with stylish glassware I can imagine popping up all over social media when it debuts. Also exciting: Crave.it sells many items by the pound, making it a perfect go-to for last-minute gatherings.

Crave.it
10am–9pm, every day

545 Sixth Ave.
(212) 255-4048
www.craveitnyc.com