Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Spagnuol0.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joseph. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story starts in Boston’s little Italy, (North End) where I was born and raised. Growing up in the North End has its pros and cons. I will get into the cons a little later but believe it or not, the good and the bad is what led me to where I am today. The wonderful thing about my Italian upbringing is that, I was surrounded by delicious delicacy’s my whole life. My heritage and culture were ingrained in me as well as most Italians from the north end but I decided to take my experiences to the next level as well as throw a unique spin on it. The birth of the idea for Cini’s started long before its existence.
I have spent my life watching and learning how to cook in my family’s home as well as working in the North Ends famous cheese shop (Fresh Cheese), where I cooked everything from your traditional Chicken Parm and perfecting my tomato sauce/gravy, to learning in-depth about a variety of cheeses and meats. I traveled all over the country as well as visited Italy several times for new ideas. Okay, that’s a bit of my background.
Now lets get down to Cinis, this is where my story turns slightly dark but definitely interesting. March of 2016, I was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for several charges of organized crime which I whole heartedly still deny to this day. I was raised around that lifestyle which ultimately was my downfall, but it is not something I regret but on the contrary, it was the turn around that I needed.
I was sitting in the hole locked down 23 hours a day with plenty of time to think when dinner was served threw a slot in my cell door. Well, I wouldn’t call it dinner, a better name for it would be “slop’, which made me start reminiscing about my nonna’s home made arancinis. Which ultimately brought me to idea of reinventing the traditional arancini. The wheels started turning and the Cinis were born. Just in thought… soon to be a reality. I just gotta get out of this hole first! Hahahaha!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road his been pretty bumpy along the way. Being a felon and starting from scratch does not exactly give you and advantage but instead people are most likely to question you legitimacy. But that would all change with some luck and a lot of hard work. I decided that first, I have to take myself serious before any one else does.
So, I signed up to this food incubator in Dorchester called the commonwealth kitchen, where they teach and help food start ups get off the ground. After completing the class, I entered the pitch competition where I explained my story and business plan in depth. I took first place which opened some doors for me and more importantly, helped me gain the respect I needed to take this to the next level.
Please tell us about Cini’s.
Traditional arancinis are softball sized rice balls filled with meat rague and cheese. Cinis are bite sized risotto balls which are made with traditional fillings as well as unique flavors.
Here are some examples:
1. Buffalo chicken with huge chunks of breaded chicken cutlets and our home made buffalo sauce.
2. Tatta which is creamy seasoned mashed potatoes balls filled with a 3 cheese blend and crispy breading.
3. The crowd favorite, mac and cini is our 5 cheese mac&cheese with crispy bacon and hot Italian cherry peppers breaded in flaming hot Cheetos!!
One thing everyone loves about our Cinis, is the Cini cheese stretch since each Cini is packed full of our 3 cheese blend whenever you bite into one you get a cheese stretch like no other. You can find this stretch all over the internet and all of our social media outlets. Our customers love to share there Cini stretch videos! What I’m most proud of is that we are providing high quality delicious snacks with an eclectic twist on one of our oldest Italian traditions. There is nothing like seeing a dream become a reality.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
This one is easy, my favorite memory is waking up on a Sunday morning, hearing the church bells, smelling my nonna’s gravy cooking and helping her make the most delicious arancinis! That’s right, we call tomato sauce – gravy!
Pricing:
- All Cinis are stuffed full of our 3 cheese blend. Cini’s $2.00 a piece and $20 a dozen.
Contact Info:
- Website: eatcinis.com
- Phone: 857-256-0602
- Email: https://www.eatcinis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatcinis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatcini/
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