One Of Bensonhurst’s Own, Dom Gervasi, Comes Back Home

Local guru and Made in Brooklyn founder Dom Gervasi is coming back to his native Bensonhurst, according to his Facebook account.

For those of you who don’t know who he is (gasp), Gervasi is the founder of a touring company called Made in Brooklyn Tours and grew up in Bensonhurst. The tour company takes customers on a guided trip through the borough.

The son of Italian immigrants, Gervasi grew up on the block where “Mama Sbarro opened her first Salumeria in Bensonhurst,” according to a Q&A we did in 2012. Dom is a licensed NYC Sightseeing Guide. And up until now he lived in Bay Ridge (for shame!).

Gervasi writes in his post, “After an intense, emotionally draining search, I found my new home in Bensonhurst, my native land, where we still close the lights and doors and demand that you sit down for a cup of eXpresso when you come in.”

He notes that the neighborhood isn’t exactly the same one he left.

“No longer the domain of Italian-Americans alone, Bensonhurst is ethnically diverse – looking forward to traveling without leaving the country,” he wrote.

In the Q&A, Gervasi reveals that he has a sixth sense to actually “taste” neighborhoods. He then describes Bensonhurst’s taste:

Today? It tastes like Szechuan raviolis smothered with red sauce and a side of rice and beans. It’s a mix of swaggering attitude, pragmatic thriftiness infused with the indomitable spirit of Rocky Balboa.

Welcome back, Dom. We’re happy to have you. Just… y’know, don’t try to taste us or anything.