Although homemade pasta was not sold at Russo’s until Jack Cangemi took over from its original owner, Anthony Russo, the shop has always been dedicated to making homemade fresh and smoked mozzarella. In the old days, Russo’s used to smoke its cheese in a metal barrel on the sidewalk — “stinking up the street” in the process, as the staff at its equally long-standing neighbor, Veniero’s, still playfully gripe about today.
