Hanging Out, Italian Style, in Dobbs Ferry

Basilio Colaizzi is almost too busy to be interviewed.

As the one-man barista, sandwich maker and overall impresario of Caffe Latte in Dobbs Ferry, an Italian-inflected gathering spot, there's too much to do to sit back and answer questions.

It's more than the fragrant espresso or panini that conjure the sense of small town intimacy at the modest café in Dobbs Ferry, where the décor consists mostly of posters of Italy or ads for Vespa motobikes.

Close your eyes. Inhale the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee. Listen to the soft murmured conversations in Italian that rise from nearby tables. It's easy to imagine that you've found a timeless gathering spot in a small village in the Tuscan hills, where locals relax for hours.

The early morning crowd includes a group of businessmen who chat in an animated blend of Italian and English, sharing jokes with Basilio—as he's known to nearly everyone—as they wave to the meter collector walking down the street.

This is the quintessential hang out for grown ups, the antithesis of Starbucks, combining both Italy's nonchalance with Dobbs Ferry's casual, unpretentious attitude. At one table, there are mothers relaxing after a yoga workout. At another, retired couples enjoy a slice of Italian cheese cake with their espressos after running errands in town. Even students from the Masters' School or Dobbs Ferry High School drop by to complete last-minute homework assignments while drinking perfectly brewed espresso or indulging in cappuccino.

"In Italy, this is what we have in a small village," said Colaizzi, who greets regulars and newcomers alike with a warm "ciao." 

Still, presiding over a local institution, no matter how treasured, wasn't quite what Colaizzi had in mind as his life's game plan. The Abruzzo native had worked as an accountant for Fiat, the Italian automobile maker in Turin. He also spent time working in Rome where he found the hospitality industry more to his liking at hotels like the Sheraton and Hilton.

When he immigrated to the United States in 1989, where he settled in Yonkers, Colaizzi worked as a waiter.  But working for someone else didn't suit him--"You couldn't talk to people; you had to go to the kitchen," he said—so he decided to open his own place in April 1995.

Careful to guard his family's privacy (married, with two daughters, Colaizzi lives in one of Northern Westchester's more rural communities), Colaizzi wants to keep the focus on what he does for a living: run the kind of place that helps define village life.

"Lots of people follow me," admitted Colaizzi, who attributed some of his success to the strong connections he developed in the Italian-American community in Westchester.

Caffe Latte, 41 Cedar Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY—914-674-0997