In the summer of 1905, a Sicilian immigrant named Angelo Brocato Sr. opened his first ice-cream parlor on Decatur Street, just off Ursulines, in the part of the Vieux Carre known at the time as Little Palermo.

Brocato, who had started his career as a 12-year-old apprentice in an elegant ice-cream parlor in the real Palermo, turned out such then-exotic hot-weather treats as granita al limon, known today as lemon ice; torroncino, a vanilla-based gelato with cinnamon and ground almonds; and, of course, cannoli, which consists of pastry dough rolled into a loose cylinder and packed with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta.