This cheesy cottontail is hopping again!
After a three-year hiatus, Novelli’s Pork store on Staten Island is serving up their ear-resistible mozzarella bunnies.
The unique Easter delights — which are decorated with green and black olives for eyes and a roasted red pepper schnoz — were a staple at the Oakwood salumeria for over two decades before COVID.
But the chewy hares went on hiatus in 2020 as Novelli’s pivoted to prepared dinners and groceries during quarantine.
“They are cute. It’s a novelty for the table and it’s become a tradition,” a proud John Spadaro told The Post after finishing a fresh batch on Thursday.
Spadaro and business partner Joe Rivelli designed 250 mozzarella bunnies for this Easter, creating the two-pound critters from freshly pulled cheese curd.
“It doesn’t take long. We do six at a time,” explained Spadaro, who said his wife, Karen, does the decorating after the mozz has been stretched and soaked in cold, salted water and molded and chilled for a couple of hours.
The special 2-pound Easter rabbit is placed in a tray and surrounded by olives, peppers and pepperoni, and comes with an $18 price tag.
The mozzarella maker expects Novelli’s will be hopping due to the Easter bunny blitz, which was first reported by silive.com.
“The customers always say the kids love them,” Spadaro noted, adding, “People call weeks ahead saying ‘I gotta have it for my table.’”
