Patricia Talorico

The News Journal

A familiar face is back in Wilmington - Fusco's Italian Ice has reopened for the season.

"It's the same family, the same equipment, the same recipe, the same old-style," said Joseph Staffieri, who runs the family-owned water ice stand, a landmark in Little Italy since 1957.

The 610 N. Union St. business - a red, white and green stand-alone building near Dead Presidents Pub - did not open last summer, causing disappointment among many longtime fans who wondered if it was the end of an era.

"How can we have summer without Fusco's?" News Journal reader Ann Keen wrote in a 2013 letter that appeared in our Friday "Dish" column.

But Staffieri, who was out-of-town last summer, has returned to Delaware and has been scooping the homemade lemon-flavored water ice - the only kind they serve - since May.

The stand is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"Everyone has been saying, 'It's great to have you back,'" said Staffieri, whose customers include multi-generations of Delawareans who often tell him about visits with their grandparents.

Fusco's was founded by Staffieri's great-grandfather Francesco "Cheech" Fusco and his son Rosario. Staffieri said his grandfather, aunts, uncles, mother and other family members have all "put in their time" at the stand.

The Italian ice is made-on-site, using "Cheech" Fusco's original equipment. The slushy ice, with an almost velvety mouth-feel, contains the juice from lemons squeezed fresh daily, water and sugar. That's it. Don't ask for any other flavors.

"True Italian ice is lemon only," Staffieri says. The ice is served in a plastic cup. Prices range from $1 to $5. A 5-gallon container, available for parties and other events, is $70.

With temperatures expected to soar in the 90s, Staffieri expects a busy week. "We got in really early to be well-prepared for the day," he said Tuesday morning.

For more information, visit the Fusco's Italian Ice Facebook page.