Tucked tightly between buildings on Main Street in Rochester, a small cannoli shop offers new twists on an old favorite.

Holy Cannoli’s offers 75 flavors of cannoli including cotton candy, Rock & Rye, Pop Rocks, Funfetti and key lime. All treats are made-to-order.

Nicole Schulte-Franey owns the family-run business that opened last March. Her mother, grandmother and her said they are happy to introduce the Italian treat to those who have never had a “real” cannoli.

“We are still educating people on what cannoli are,” said Schulte-Franey, reflecting on her experiences with locals who say they don’t like cannoli. “There’s two reasons why you don’t like a cannoli — you haven’t had a real one, or you had a poor experience because they were soft and soggy.”

The Schulte family is looking to change people’s opinions using a true Sicilian recipe. In many restaurants, cannoli are filled with ricotta cheese, sugar and sometimes chocolate and have a deep-fried, crunchy shell.

Homemade family recipe

Holy Cannoli’s uses a cream base, which allows them to experiment with a variety of different flavors fit for any palate.

Holy Cannoli’s also makes cookies, cream puffs, cupcakes and party trays. They offer special baskets and trays and they are flexible with special orders and deliveries and many of their treats can be made gluten-free.

“Nine out of 10 (people) who say they don’t like cannoli end up buying them. They try them because they say ‘I like that flavor of ice cream’ or ‘I like Oreos, so I’d try cookies ‘n’ cream’” said Schulte-Franey.

The family has always made cannoli for special holidays like Christmas, but after encouragement from a dedicated fan base, they decided to expand their passion and monetary gain.

They began in a small rented kitchen, with Schulte-Franey and her mother Cathy Schulte cooking cannoli six at a time for catering events which usually require 500-1,000 cannoli. They have since invested in a kitchen of their own. In the time it took them to make six cannoli, they can now make 100.

The Schulte family takes great pride in what they do and they love opening the eyes of patrons to the world of fun flavors they create. “When someone takes a bite, to see their reaction is the best part (of making cannolis),” said Sharon Beheler, grandmother of owner Nicole Schulte-Franey. “We like to watch their eyes roll back in their heads.”

This Valentine’s Day Holy Cannoli’s will offer the flavors white chocolate raspberry, strawberry chocolate, peanut butter chocolate and cinnamon red hot.

Contact staff intern Ashley Mohler via email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @ashmohler