The New Orleans community is mourning the loss of Angelo Brocato III, a member of one of the city’s most beloved Italian dessert families, who died at the age of 85 after a long illness.
Brocato’s younger brother, Arthur Brocato, confirmed his death on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Known affectionately as “Angelo the Third,” Angelo Brocato III was part of a family legacy that has been serving traditional Italian desserts in New Orleans for more than a century.
He was one of six grandchildren of Sicilian immigrant Angelo Brocato, who founded the original family business in the French Quarter more than 100 years ago. The family’s passion for Italian sweets, including handmade desserts and traditional recipes, became a lasting part of New Orleans’ culinary culture.
The family business, Angelo Brocato, became famous for its Italian ices, cannolis, gelato, pastries, and other baked desserts. Over the years, the shop moved locations and eventually settled at its current Mid-City location at 214 North Carrollton Avenue.
For decades, generations of customers visited the gelateria-pasticceria for its authentic Sicilian-inspired treats and old-world atmosphere.
Beyond his work inside the family business, Angelo Brocato III was also a familiar face at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where the restaurant maintains a booth. Customers often enjoyed not only the desserts but also Brocato’s stories about the family’s history and the traditions behind the business.
Friends and longtime customers remembered him as someone who helped preserve New Orleans’ connection to Italian heritage through food and hospitality.
The Brocato family’s century-long history has made the business a treasured part of the city’s identity, with generations of New Orleanians returning for classic desserts that have remained largely unchanged over the years.
Angelo Brocato III’s passing marks the loss of a longtime guardian of that tradition. His family continues to carry forward the legacy established by his grandfather, keeping the recipes and spirit of the historic New Orleans dessert shop alive.
