Inside: Spatola Latticini

He's got balls—mozzarella balls! A tour of Queens' homegrown mozz factory.

On a secluded residential block in Ridgewood, Queens, lies a squat, two-story factory of wonder. Welcome to Spatola Latticini, run by brothers Franco and Freddy Spatola, originally from Italy but New Yorkers through and through. This nondescript mozzarella magic machine has been churning out fresh buffalo mozzarella for notable New York institutions like the entire Patsy's Pizzeria family, Russo's On The Bay, Coppola East and West, Pepe Gallo, as well as Spatola's sister restaurant in Astoria, Da Franco.

Ten minutes from the Myrtle/Wyckoff subway station and masked by the grumble of a freight-rail line down the block, Spatola Latticini has been making mozzarella in total seclusion here for six years. Considering that they've been producing mozz for over a decade in two different locations—first in Astoria and now in Ridgewood—it's a flat-out shame that in a city of foodies, few have known about this very local mozzarella hub. It takes an eagle eye to spot the sign and a basset hound's nose to sniff the curd, but have no fear: We've found the place.

By Matt Levy; photos by Jori Klein Jacobs