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DiCamillo Bakery

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DiCamillo Bakery
IndustryBakery
Founded1920; 104 years ago (1920) in Niagara Falls, New York[1][2]
FounderTomaso and Addolorata DiCamillo
Headquarters
Niagara Falls, New York
Number of locations
5 (2017)[3][2]
Area served
New York
ProductsBiscotti, cookies, breads, cakes, candy, jams, food-gifts
Websitewww.dicamillobakery.com

DiCamillo Bakery is an Italian American family-run bakery chain founded in 1920 in Niagara Falls, New York by the DiCamillo family. It has locations in Niagara Falls, Williamsville and Lewiston. It is known mainly for its biscotti[4][5][6][7] and cookies[8] but its traditional Italian scaletta (curly loaf bread)[9] is popular as well.[2][10] DiCamillo’s most famous product that achieved national recognition is Biscotti Di Vino (red wine biscuits topped with sesame seeds) introduced in 1979.[11][12]

History

Start of the family business

DiCamillo bakery was founded by Tomaso and Addolorata DiCamillo in 1920 on 14th Street in Niagara Falls, NY.[13] They were joined in business by their 11 children.[14]

DiCamillo’s was one of the first Italian bakeries to open in Niagara Falls, NY.[2] It operated in the basement of a three-story building with the fresh bread being delivered to locals by horse-drawn wagons.[2] In 1931 during the gangster era Tomaso’s eldest son Tom was approached by a mob collector looking for protection money. He refused to pay and it resulted in the bombing of the bakery and an armed attack.[15][16][17][18]

Second generation: 1940s – 1970s

Tomaso DiCamillo died in 1941[19] leaving the family business in the hands of his 4 sons Thomas, Frank, Nicholas, and Joseph.[20] In 1942 they moved the bakery from 14th Street to 467 20th Street[21] where the bakery operated until 1976 move to 811 Linwood Ave.[19]

By 1954 the company had 3 stores in Niagara Falls (531 Third St., 1924 Pine Ave., 1632 Main St.) and offered a wide variety of product from traditional Italian bread and pizza to wedding and birthday cakes, doughnuts and éclairs.[22][23]

In the late 1950s and early 1960s consumer behavior changed and customers moved away from local community shops to supermarkets. The family had to revamp their business model. They dropped their wholesale routes, reduced the menu, and concentrated on core products.

Third generation: 1970s

In the late sixties a third generation of DiCamillo family entered the business. David, Thomas, Francis (Frank) and Michael opened a new production facility on 811 Linwood Ave in 1976.[19]This paved the way for their national expansion in 1980s.

1980s: National Expansion

Eighties brought changes in DiCamillo’s business. In 1979 the company started to deliver products in tin boxes[24][25] by mail orders[20], it opened Gourmet Department headed by Michael DiCamillo[19] and catered to gourmet departments at Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Bloomingdale's[24] in New York and Marshall Field's in Chicago.[20][26] In 1980 DiCamillo also opened their first store outside of Niagara Falls in Lewiston[1] at the historic 1820 Hotchkiss building.[27] At the same time the bakery managed to keep its unique business models. «There are no brokers, no distributors, no agents. Everyone has to buy directly from us. There are no salesmen, no one else but us, which is an oddity in this business,» explained Michael DiCamillo in the Associated Press 1986 story.[20]

DiCamillo’s most popular product in the 80s were biscotti, especially Biscotti Di Vino (red wine biscuits topped with sesame seeds) introduced in 1979[11] and sold in a brown coffee style bag.[28][29][20] In 1990 the name Biscotti Di Vino was registered as a trademark.[30]

Another popular DiCamillo’s product of the 80s was traditional focaccia (Italian flatbread) introduced in 1983.[8][31]

Featuring the DiCamillo family on the cover of Allison and Margaret Engel’s 1984 book Food Finds : America's Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them was a sign of national recognition.[32] The authors praised DiCamillo’s Biscotti Di Vino, stating that it "has a taste, crunch, and flavor that is unequalled."[33] Later in 1989 describing DiCamillo’s Dolcetti Delicati tin at The Washington Post article Margaret Engel noted that "as with all of the DiCamillo products, the presentation, from the magical graphics on the burnished gold tin to the neatly arranged cookies, equals the quality of the baked goods."[34]

1990s: Biscotti Splash

Biscotti became very popular in America during the 90s. "The popularity of biscotti is clearly rising. Apart from the Italian food shops where they have always been available, they are now sold in delis and supermarkets. And the new coffee bars springing up in New York and around the country all seem to have a selection of fancy biscotti on their counters”, wrote in 1993 article The New York Times food editor Marian Burros.[35] Most famous of them were biscotti di Prato, also called cantuccini, made with almonds and traditionally dipped in a glass of vin santo. DiCamillo and La Tempesta were two famous biscotti di Prato brands at the time.[36][37]

Biscotti business was booming[37] and new varieties of the product appeared.[35] DiCamillo expanded their product line to include biscotti in almond, chocolate, and chocolate-dipped varieties.[38][39]

2000s And the Fourth Generation

With the death of the two of the 2-nd generation founders (Nicholas DiCamillo[40] and Frank DiCamillo[41]) in 2001 the role of third generation grew in importance. In 2002 the bakery was operated by 4 brothers each overseeing a particular business area: production (Tom), finance (David), marketing (Michael), retail operations (Skip).[13]

DiCamillo continued to innovate in product development adding new varieties of cookies and sweets such as coconut macaroons (2001),[42] rum baba cakes (2002),[43] baked peaches (2002),[44] and Sicilian fig cookies (2009).[45] These gourmet products were sold at luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.[46]

In 2006 the bakery opened its fifth retail store in Williamsville on 5329 Main St.[47] at the historic 1840 Greek Revival building.[48]

During the 2000s DiCamillo bakery won several awards for product design and advertising including ADDY Award (national award in 2004[49] and regional awards in 2006,[50] 2007[51] and 2008[52]), National Association for the Specialty Food Trade SOFI award (“Finalist” in 2001 and 2006, "Winner" in 2007[53]).

In 2016 Specialty Food Association included Michael Di Camillo, a grandson of the founders, into 2016 Hall of Fame, acknowledging his influence on “The Biscotti Decades” of the 1980s and 90s.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b Dietz, Suzanne Simon; Freiermuth, Amy Lynn (2010). Lewiston. Arcadia. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-5316-2729-4. Retrieved 2017-11-21 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e Dana Casullo (2015-03-03). "DiCamillo's Bakery: A century old and thriving!". Niagara Frontier Publications. Archived from the original on 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  3. ^ Dan Miner (2008-02-24). "FOOD: Flour costing a lot of dough". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  4. ^ Elaine Sciolino (2001-03-02). "Weekend Excursion; A Million Baths a Second, Crowd-Free". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2017-11-21. The most famous shop on the strip is the headquarters for the 81-year-old DiCamillo Bakery, whose biscotti in patterned, cylindrical tins are sold nationwide {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2009-05-05 suggested (help)
  5. ^ Razzi, Elizabeth (1995). "A Moveable Feast". Kiplinger's Personal Finance. 49 (12): 122. ISSN 1528-9729 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Slater, Shirley; Basch, Harry (2010). "Part III: Exploring the East". RV Vacations For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-470-64378-5. Retrieved 2017-11-21 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Marian, Burros (1995). "Grains". Twenty-Minute Menus: Time-Wise Recipes and Strategic Plans for Freshly Cooked Meals Every Day. Simon and Schuster. p. 239. ISBN 0-684-80135-3. Retrieved 2017-11-21 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b Marian Burros (1983-06-29). "A Showcase for Fancy Foods". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2017-11-21. The DiCamillo Bakery, family owned and operated for 60 years in Niagara Falls, N.Y., made a name for itself selling Italian biscuits and cookies. Now it has added a foccacia to its line. Unlike the soft breadlike foccacia baked with various toppings including tomato and sold in Italian bakeries and delicatessens, this one is hard and crackerlike. It has an appealing, slightly spicy flavor that is enhanced by the use of extra-virgin olive oil
  9. ^ Marti Attoun (2010-09-22). "Hometown Bakeries". americanprofile.com. Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  10. ^ David Landsel (2009-01-20). "50 states: New York". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  11. ^ a b c "2016 Hall of Fame Recipients Summer". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  12. ^ Virginia Phillips (2011-06-30). "Rise up cracker lovers: Make your own upscale crackers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-29. Crunchy, sweet and peppery wine biscuits find bliss with a creamy gorgonzola or other fresh creamy cheese. They are the long-ago invention of Di Camillo Bakery in upstate New York, where they are still sold in pricey tins
  13. ^ a b Annie Deck (2002-08-05). "Raking in the dough". Buffalo Business First. Archived from the original on 2002-09-18. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  14. ^ "Joseph DiCamillo, former bakery co-owner, dies". Niagara Gazette. 2017-02-25. Archived from the original on 2017-11-26. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  15. ^ "Armed attack at Di Camillo Bakery". The Buffalo Times. 1931-05-15. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  16. ^ "Bakery Attack Blamed on Gang Racketeers". Buffalo Currier Express. 1931-05-15. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  17. ^ "Alleged Bread War Racket, Probe by Grand Jury". Niagara Falls Gazette. 1931-05-16. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  18. ^ "Gang Obtains Information Through Leak". Buffalo Currier Express. 1931-05-16. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  19. ^ a b c d Marcia Buzzelli (2014-03-17). "The Di Camillo Family; Di Camillo Baking Co., Inc". The Italians of Niagara Falls. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  20. ^ a b c d e "Bakery caters to an upscale crowd". Democrat and Chronicle, p. 91. 1986-04-13. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  21. ^ Norma Higgs (2012-03-25). "HIGGS: Pine's 1900 block and some corporate history". Niagara Gazette. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  22. ^ "DiCamillo's Bakery" (PDF). Niagara Falls Gazette, p. 28-B. 1954-05-17. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  23. ^ "DICAMILLO'S BAKERY" (PDF). Niagara Falls Gazette, p. 21. 1954-10-07. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  24. ^ a b Trish Hall (1988-12-07). "When the Package Is Part of the Pleasure". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  25. ^ Margaret Engel (1989-03-08). "MAKE MINE MACAROONS..." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2017-11-29. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2016-11-13 suggested (help)
  26. ^ "Small Family Bakery Sells to the Finest". The Evening Times, p. 18. 1986-04-10. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  27. ^ George Bailey (2012-05-11). "'The most historic Square Mile in America'". Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  28. ^ Moira Hodgson (1980-12-03). "Gifts of Food Items Always Welcomed, Even By The Choosy". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  29. ^ "Di Camillo Bakery Biscotti di Vino". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  30. ^ "BISCOTTI DI VINO Trademark Information". trademarkia.com. Archived from the original on 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  31. ^ Phyllis C. Richman (1983-07-10). "Fancy Food". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  32. ^ Engel, Allison; Engel, Margaret (1984). Food Finds : America's Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-091114-X. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  33. ^ Engel, Allison; Engel, Margaret (1984). Food Finds : America's Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them. Harper & Row. p. 17. ISBN 0-06-091114-X. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  34. ^ Margaret Engel (1989-03-08). "Make Mine Macaroons…". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  35. ^ a b Marian Burros (1993-11-20). "For 'Deny Me' Decade, The Right Cookie". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  36. ^ "Food notes: 8,600 Food Products". The New York Times. 1987-07-15. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2017-12-04. There seem to be more dry Italian-style biscuits in this year's show. These include biscotti di Prato for dipping in sweet wine (La Tempesta and DiCamillo are two first-rate domestic brands) {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2017-11-01 suggested (help)
  37. ^ a b Michele Scicolone (1992-01-16). "Biscuits That Make A Splash". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  38. ^ Zack Hanle (February 1996). "Editors' Choice: Hey, Cookie!". Bon Appétit. {{cite magazine}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  39. ^ "Triple Chocolate Biscotti Di Prato". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  40. ^ "Nicholas A. DiCamillo". The Buffalo News. 2001-02-08. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  41. ^ "Anita J. DiCamillo, retired teacher". The Buffalo News. 2003-04-28. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  42. ^ "Coconut Macaroons". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  43. ^ "Baba Rum Cakes". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  44. ^ "Baked Peaches". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  45. ^ "Sicilian Fig Cookies". Specialty Food Association. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  46. ^ Janice Okun (2004-10-06). "A New Generation: Niagara Falls Bakery branches out into the gourmet produce business, hoping it's as fruitful financially as selling bread". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  47. ^ Tracey Drury (2006-01-20). "Latina's, Di Camillo's neighbors in Erie Co". Buffalo Business First. Archived from the original on 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  48. ^ "Village of Williamsville Historic Landmark Design Standards" (PDF). Flynn Battaglia Architects. 2014-09-30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  49. ^ "2004 National Gold ADDY® Winners". ADDY Awards. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  50. ^ "2006 Buffalo Addy Award Winners". adhub.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  51. ^ "2007 Buffalo Addy Awards". adhub.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  52. ^ "2008 Buffalo ADDY Awards: Silver Winners". adhub.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  53. ^ "2007 sofi Awards: Page 2". Specialty Food Association. 2007-09-01. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-05.


Category:Bakeries of the United States Category:1920 establishments in New York (state) Category:American companies established in 1920 Category:Niagara Falls, New York Category:Food and drink companies established in 1920 Category:Bakery cafés Category:Italian-American culture in New York (state)

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