Handmade Zeppolis a Staple at Italian Festival

They are a staple of the Celini Lodge's annual Italian festival – light, fried, covered in sugar, and completely addictive. The handmade zeppolis produced by members of the Lodge are proclaimed as "The Best of Long Island," and judging by the long lines around the booth there is no reason to argue.

"There were sixty people online at 10:30 last night waiting to take home zeppolis," Vinny Capasso said Friday, standing over the donut fryers where he and a dozen workers make the popular fair treat.

Capasso's "zeppole's" are so popular, Lodge workers went through nine of their forty-five bags of flour in just four hours during the festival's second day of operation. Every year business at the stand increases and Capasso had to purchase a third fryer just to keep up with demand.

While the basic ingredients of a zeppoli are dough, flour, yeast, sugar and trace amounts of salt, Capasso does something to make the Celini Lodge's truly unique. "What makes our zeppolis the best is that the inside is cooked too," he said.

The new fryers feature a built-in thermostat, insuring a perfectly cooked treat. "The oil doesn't burn," Capasso said, pointing to the bubbling vat. "So the zeppolis don't sit and soak up the oil."

Capasso's point is taken literally as the zeppolis miraculously flip themselves over in the fryers when they are finished cooking on one side. They are then taken out and given their coating of powdered sugar before being tossed in a bag for eager customers to enjoy.

Capasso believes the zeppolis help draw in the crowds to the festival each year. "No matter where they go, these are the zeppolis that customers say they like the best," he said. "The price is right, but it's the taste that counts." A bag of six can be had for $5, or a baker's dozen for $8.

The festival concludes Sunday night.