“Hi there!”
I thought I had walked onto a Hallmark movie set.
I snap out from my perplexed gaze to see a friendly smile and gentle wave coming from a stand. “Mount Granita”, the logo reads.
In my archetypal Northeastern wiring, I walk past. But why the rush? Granita, in Ohio of all places… There’s got to be a story there. On second impulse, I beeline my way back to the stand and decided to investigate.
Imagine this: along a red cobblestone street of Cleveland’s Little Italy sits a white stand with wooden planks and a fluorescent sign. From the side, bubbles float across the street, providing a joyous and lighthearted nature to an otherwise quiet street. Bathing the clients seated in their turquoise chairs, Brazilian ipanema style music softly plays in the background. Anthony, a college engineering student, is working the stand and patiently explains to me the flavors which ranged from the classic lemon to more nontraditiontal ones like mint mojito.
Their granita is all vegan, made with cane sugar, and fresh organic fruits. They offer four sizes: junior, regular, large, and a flight which includes 4 flavors. It’s a bit icier than the traditional granita, but after a couple minutes of it sitting the sun, I feel transported to the streets of Pozzallo. The mint mojito flavor is refreshing, digestive, and the perfect sweetness – an ideal finale to a day of eating. Eventually, I become the spokesperson for the mint mojito flavor – a flavor to which I am very loyal.
While I could go on and on about the granita itself, the magic of Mount Granita lies in the people behind it. In talking to Anthony, I learn about how the business is run by his engineer brother, Chris, and business friend Jonah. Together, they have made everything – from building the stand itself, designing the logo, refining the granita recipe from Chris and Anthony’s ancestors. In a true “from scratch” fashion, nearly everything you see is a product of their minds and hands. Throughout my first night there, neighbors stop by for a refreshing scoop, a few of whom I get to speak Italian with. Anthony engages with each one in a conviviality that can only be likened to that of Peter Parker. It doesn’t take me long to decide that this will become my regular weekend joint.
The next day, I had the opportunity to meet Chris and Jonah, whose openness, patience, and intelligence are immediately noticeable. We laugh about silly things, generate ideas for their upcoming storefront, compare notes on food and Italian culture, and simply enjoy the moment. The customers are equally delightful, some of which I’ve been able to connect with about integrative medicine – which is what brought me to Cleveland in the first place. I’ve met government officials, music professors, recent immigrants, and more, thanks to this little stand. These days, it’s not uncommon for me to spend three hours there, or stop by after my night out. And since my first visit of buying a junior size, I’ve now upgraded to a large, with alternating flavors of lemon and mint mojito or pina colada and mint mojito. One day, I would like to work for them 🙂
Jonah, Chris, and Anthony have become what I collectively call, my paesans. I couldn’t have expected that a turn on a street of Little Italy would change my summer. And it was exactly what I needed.
As I study for my MCAT and prepare for a path in health, it’s easy to operate in a “checklist” structure in which you are constantly arranging the bricks for the future, while perhaps missing the construction of the present. My granita paesans inspire me to cool down and have reminded me that in just basking in a moment, there are infinite possibilities. Why are you here in this very moment? Who will you meet? What will you learn?
As someone who once was hesitant about Ohio, it now holds a place in my heart… my little Sicily.