The family began prepping in October for the December onslaught of customers and even shipped baked goods nationwide.
Joe Girolo made the 2:30 a.m. trip up from Hammonton, New Jersey. He said the normal 45-minute drive takes 25 minutes when no one else is on the road.
When asked if other, closer bakeries didn’t sell cannolis, he retorted, “Nothing tastes like one from Termini Brothers… It really makes me feel like it’s Christmas when I come here.”
The more than 100-year-old South Philadelphia institution still features its original wooden display cases, and while the floors have been restored, they remain reminiscent of those from when the shop first opened.
Customers enter from the street and snake through the bakery in a long line, waiting indoors and out of the elements to make their purchases.
David Coyle was one of the first people in line, wearing a fur-trimmed green bathrobe with matching shorts. He said it’s a family tradition he began when his father brought him to the store for the annual Christmas dessert run that ended when his father passed away.
He got choked up as he remembered the trips with his father.
David Coyle dressed for the occasion. (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
“My dad died on Christmas Day. He and my sister were here Christmas Eve. The next day he was gone. So, I have just been coming with my sister now, and it’s been great, you know? Just tradition. It’s just tradition,” he said.
Susanne Satter of Huntington Valley was third in line, where she has been for the past 15 years.
“I was number one about 15 years ago but I’m not coming at 12:30, I’m still sleeping then” she said.
She said it was her grandmother’s tradition that she continued it and picked up baked goods for the family.
“I’ve been doing this for a very long time. My family appreciates it. We love it. The cannolis are the best in the city, or anywhere, and it just starts the holiday season. It’s festive and awesome,” she explained.