An Italian immigrant who got his start making cheese in the Bronx is reflecting on his experience in the U.S. during the city's Immigrant Heritage Week.

The owner of the store he first began working at in 1986, Orazio Carciotto, started out knowing nothing about mozzarella.

Carciotto is just one of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who has come to New York City. He got his start working at Casa Della Mozzarella on E. 187th in the heart of Little Italy.

"I missed my family because I came here for love. My wife was from New York City. I left everybody in Italy. In the beginning of the year, it was really tough," Carciotto says.

Immigrant Heritage Week is intended to honor the sacrifices and contributions of immigrants in New York City.

Previous owner Nicola Ceglie says Carciotto toughed it out and eventually rose through the ranks of mozzarella making to earn a spot as the best mozzarella maker in the city.

"I learned how to make mozzarella and started to teach people and then Carciotto came along, starts working for me, and I taught him and now he has become number one," Ceglie says.

Now, Carciotto and his son work side by side doing what they love in hope of sharing their experience with the next potential cheese-making prodigy.   

"I owe a lot to the United States," Carciotto says, "I owe everything."