Douglaston Man Aims to Be East Coast's Cannoli King

Douglaston’s Mauricio Vasquez made an unlikely transition 20 years ago from a job that was literally fast-paced to a career path that has resulted in sweet success.

Vasquez is the co-owner of Ariola Foods, a nearly 90-year-old distributor of Italian sweets that was founded in Brooklyn and moved to Queens before settling in Farmingdale.

The Douglaston resident said his company is the largest supplier of cannolis in the northeast.

“We make 7,000 cannolis per hour in a homemade machine that nobody else has,” he said. “We’re the biggest manufacturers on the east coast.”

But Vasquez’s career began on a different track – specifically, Saratoga’s Belmont Aqueduct, where he was a jockey.

“I rode horses for a living, but I ate myself out of the saddle with too much pasta,” said Vasquez, who grew up in Queens Village, moved to Florida and then relocated to Douglaston.

His father-in-law’s father founded Ariola Foods in 1923 in Brooklyn and moved the company to Queens Village. Several years ago, it moved out to Long Island.

Currently, Vasquez runs the baked goods company with Peter Ariola, Jr., the original founder’s grandson.

“I started to learn how to bake every item that we make,” he said of his beginnings with the company in 1991. “Then, I took over the office and sales.”

Ariola Foods supplies bakeries and wholesalers in New York, Boston, California, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois and various other sites across the Midwest.

Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino is one of their clients.

Its menu includes a variety of savory items, including tiramisu, mousse, cheese cake, sfogliatelle, pastries, wedding cakes and lobster tail. But the company is known for its cannoli.

Vasquez’s favorite desert is the Brooklyn Bridge, which is a light yellow sponge cake that includes raspberry sauce, rum, almonds and whip cream.
“The reason we named it the Brooklyn Bridge is because people can’t get over it,” he said.

Ariola has been using the same recipes since it was founded. Vasquez said the company has a devoted following.

“We started as a mom and pop retail store,” he said. “It’s also a café where people can come in and have coffee and pastries.”

Orders can be placed in person at the store, via phone or online. Many of its items are kosher.

“Ariola stands for quality,” Vasquez said. “If it doesn’t pass the quality test, we throw it out.”

He said he has managed to resist the temptations that come with working around delicious sweets all day long.

“I try to go to the gym a lot, so it works out,” he said.

Ariola Foods is located at 60 Allen Blvd. in Farmingdale.