DiCamillo Celebrates A Century of Baking
If you look past the peanut stix donuts, the Napoleons and the apricot filled cookies in the case at DiCamillo Bakery, you will see the eyes of Tomaso DiCamillo peering out from his photograph on the back wall. After arriving in Niagara Falls, Tomaso, an immigrant from central Italy’s Abruzzo region, channeled his passion for food and community into a business that has lasted a century.
Tomaso and his wife Addolorata opened DiCamillo Bakery in 1920, in a three-story brick building on Niagara Falls’ 14th Street. The bakery’s ovens were in the basement, the main floor was home to the storefront (and the launch point for their home delivery service across the city), and above that were two apartments—one home to the DiCamillos and their 11 children. Now, 100 years later, DiCamillo Bakery has grown to five stores in Western New York, a successful wholesale business at high-end retailers like Neiman Marcus and Saks, and a nationwide customer base faithful to the family’s Italian cookies, confections and hand-rolled, hearth-baked breads.
“I am extremely proud of the family I came from,” says Michael DiCamillo, one of DiCamillo Bakery’s vice presidents and part of the third generation to run the business. Like their father and his three brothers before them, Michael and his three brothers, Tom, Dave and Skip, have a lot to be proud of, not the least of which is keeping DiCamillo Bakery going all these years, surviving in the community of Niagara Falls through thick and thin.
1979 marked a turning point for DiCamillo Bakery when their Biscotti di Vino was picked up by upscale department stores, transforming them from a local favorite to a national name practically overnight. The popularity of this product, initially sold in attractively-labeled brown bags and eventually in tins and one-of-a-kind, hand-painted ceramic jars, introduced millions of Americans to biscotti, the classic and distinctive Italian cookie enjoyed with wine or coffee that was hitherto unknown outside of Italian-American communities.
After all of these years, the DiCamillo family has remained committed to the Niagara Falls community and to producing quality products, never compromising tradition. Crafting their characteristic Scaletta (meaning “small ladder”) bread is a five-hour process, beginning with a simple dough free of both shortening and sugar that is rolled out to six feet before being formed by hand and baked directly on the hearth. The resulting loaf possesses a unique, fibrous interior with a flaky, rich crust. Other notable products include their line of classic Italian cookies and seasonal fruitcake and chocolate-covered stuffed figs.
Reflecting on this 100-year landmark, DiCamillo says, “We’ve been very fortunate, we work hard and we deliver quality products with consistency.” The brothers, along with their cousins Jimmy and Betty, are keeping the hearth warm for the next generation of DiCamillos, Michael’s nephews Matthew and Daniel.
Looking to the near future, DiCamillo Bakery will be at the heart of Niagara Falls’ revitalization. The city was the recipient of $10 million in NY State funds geared towards preserving and improving the downtown. DiCamillo Bakery was among the first round of winners of the city’s Small Business Support Fund grants, receiving $75,000 to put towards a larger flagship store and production facility.
The Linwood store is already a tourist destination for visitors to the Falls looking for a special treat and an authentic experience of the area’s rich heritage. The renovated flagship store, scheduled to be finished during their centennial year, will further showcase DiCamillo Bakery’s hands-on, artisanal work, creating a space where visitors can see cake decorating and chocolate confection work.
The renovation will also give the DiCamillos the opportunity to spotlight their family history. Michael, who inherited the role of family historian from his aunt, looks forward to a museum that will pay homage to the passion and devotion of his family—four generations on display, united by pride and ingenuity, set against the backdrop of an evolving Niagara Falls.
