Watch: ‘Meals by Cugine’ began his famous food journey on Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — His reviews are hotter than ya sista in a two-piece.

It’s comical one-liners like that which have propelled Danny Mondello, 25, of Rossville to social media stardom while reviewing New York City eats over the past year.

“A year ago, I was just making videos for fun,” said Mondello, also known as “Meals by Cugine” across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. “It’s crazy to think where these videos have taken me.”

The Staten Island native recently sat down with the Advance/SILive.com for and exclusive interview inside Brother’s Pizzeria in Port Richmond to discuss his newfound celebrity.

And, of course, to rank their signature Sicilian slice.

STARTED JUST FOR FUN

Mondello said he started making cooking videos at home a few years ago as a hobby.

As of last year, he’d only share the videos with his buddies for a laugh.

“I really just showed the videos to my friends for fun,” he said. “I never even put myself on camera — it was just cooking and playing around.”

Now, his cooking videos and cursing reviews have spawned almost 2 million followers on TikTok and over 500,000 followers on Instagram.

‘CUGINE’ CREATED AT S.I. DELI

Although Mondello’s flair for food-related social media content began years ago, his alter ego “Cugine” (Italian slang for “cousin”) emerged while working at a local deli on Staten Island.

“My first food job was at Miggy’s deli in Rossville,” Mondello said. “The inspiration of ‘Cugine’ comes from that atmosphere.

“From the customers to the people I worked with, it’s just very Staten Island.”

He said even though the “Cug” character may be exaggerated for his hot-take reviews, the voice and accent are true to his Staten Island roots.

“Some of the s--- I say I would never say in real life, like the sister jokes,” he said. “But a lot of the words I use is just what I heard growing up.”

KEEP GRINDING

In the past year, Mondello said his life has been a whirlwind — going from seemingly unknown to recognized in nearly every food establishment he steps into.

“I always walk in and try to keep it low-key,” he said. “But [the owners] always f------ know who I am.”

And with staff, patrons and fans on the street constantly stopping him to recite some of his biggest catch phrases, Mondello said he’s appreciative of where he is today.

“I never had aspirations of doing this,” he said. “I almost gave up.

“Just keep grinding and doing what you’re doing.”

And as for his first time having Brother’s Pizzeria?

“At least 10, 12, 14 madones. Who knows? Ya sista knows,” he declared.