Strawberry Short Cake at Mitch & Toni’s

Toni Contino knows many women who’ve had breast cancer but recently she has heard from men who have had the disease, including Anthony Galasso, a waiter at her new restaurant Mitch & Toni’s in Albertson who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.

“I’ve read that men are the last to be diagnosed,” Contino said, “so we want to bring it more forward to the men.”

When Anthony felt a lump in his breast in 2005, he and his wife thought maybe it was just a calcium deposit. There was no breast cancer in the family. A doctor did a biopsy, which revealed he had stage 3 breast cancer. After a second opinion he had a radical mastectomy.

“Men should be more aware,” Galasso said. “It felt like a tiny peanut; there was no pain, nothing.”

One percent of breast cancer cases are men. According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in the United States, 2,140 men are expected to be diagnosed, and 450 to die from the disease in 2011.

So Contino and her partner, chef Mitchell SuDoc, decided to help raise awareness and funds during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. After reading about Adelphi and what they do,” says Toni, “I thought it would be great to connect with them.”

The Dish: Strawberry Shortcake

How’s it taste: This is what strawberry shortcake used to taste like and always should. The cake is light and fresh, the cream is real and the strawberries are sweet and a bit tart.

Sides: The strawberry shortcake is $8, Two specialty drinks, at $10 each, are the “Prickly Pear Margarita” made with tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and prickly pear cactus syrup and “The Vegan Pink Lady,” a concoction of gin, pomegranate liqueur, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup.

Ten percent of the restaurants sales of each of these pink items with be donated to the Adelphi Breast Cancer Program to help educate, support, empower and advocate for breast cancer patients, professionals and the community.