STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.—Where do you even begin with a thank you? How do you start a story about people who feed an entire school simply because they believe in taking care of their community—the kind of Staten Islanders who wave hello, send a thoughtful e-mail, or show up when it matters.
A few days ago, I was reminded of that in a hospital room at Richmond University Medical Center with my kid. (All is well now.) During one of those long stretches where your eyes drift—to the walls, the hallway, the signs outside the window—I saw their names. Lois and Richard Nicotra. A plaque here, a sign there. Quiet reminders of people who have shaped this borough in ways big and small.
With their first venture, it was two young Staten Islanders building something from scratch, one swirl of fro-yo at a time at Everything Yogurt. It really was a food-world Cinderella story. They treated the counter like a social hub—remembering names, learning stories, making people feel welcome. That tiny shop eventually grew into a national franchise with more than 200 locations. More importantly, it became the foundation for everything that came after: their hotels, the café, the philanthropy, the scholarships, the community spaces. Everything Yogurt taught them that food brings people together, that kindness is good business, and that success means more when it lifts others with you.
From there, the work only grew—thoughtful development, community spaces like much of South Avenue in Bloomfield, and now, upgrades to the very hospitals that care for us. In a borough where planning has often felt like an afterthought, they’ve been a steady exception—something I benefited from recently, without asking and purely by chance…