Buffalo Rising Online

Feb 9th 2006, 2:00pm By queenseyes

Luigi's Slideshow

A few days ago I stopped into the Garden Restaurant for a bite to eat. One of the best parts of the sandwich that I ordered was the ciabatta bread it was made with. At the end of the meal I asked if they made the bread in-house. They told me that the bread came from Luigiis, a local bakery located on Forest Avenue in Buffalo. I just happened to be on Forest the other day, so I stopped into Luigi's in search of the source of that delicious ciabatta bread.

Luigi's is an old world bakery and local institution that has been serving both city neighborhoods and wonderful restaurants for over 50 years. Owners/brothers Frank (left) and Nick (right) learned the trade from their father when they were both young boys.

Back then the two would plead with their father to be allowed to come to work on the weekends as they were fascinated by the business. Their father bought Luigiis upon returning from WWII in 1946. He ran Luigiis at its original location at the corner of 7th and Hudson until a fire prompted a move to a second location in South Buffalo on South Park. From there Luigiis moved to Broadway (in 1980), where the business outgrew the space before moving (in 1999) to its current location on Forest Avenue near Niagara.

Luigiis is one of the last of the old-world bakeries that has survived the onslaught of competition from bread sales at every modern day corner store throughout the city. Back in the hey-day, customers used to come to their neighborhood bakery to pick up their baked goods, and locations could be found scattered around the city. What many people have forgotten is that the experience of shopping at a bakery like Luigiis is more precious than ever. The baked-goods are fresh out of the oven, and the family recipes are unique to the individual bakeries. For example, Luigiis is known for their Italian bread. People come from all corners to pick up a fresh loaf to take home to their dinner table.

While I was at this West Side bakery, I ran into Uncle Joe who insisted that I try a few samples of dayis offerings. The butter top bread is to die for, as are the pastries, turnovers, coffee cakes, bear claws, Danishis, cookies, etc.. If you visit Luigiis on an empty stomach, you could be in major trouble! This family owned bakery also makes products for a ton of local restaurants including, Frankis Sunny Italy, Panosi, Papa Jakes, La Nova, Hogie Bros., and of course the Garden Restaurant. Currently, the bakery makes over 1,000 loaves a bread, but in preparation for holidays like St. Joseph Day, Luigiis has knocked out 6,000 (or three tons) loaves of their breads, which often take form in the shapes of Shepardis heads, fish, and canes.

Luigiis encompasses a 12,000 sq.i space where sixteen employees still handcraft bread in many of the same ways the bakers did fifty years ago. Frank and Nick have incorporated some modern conveniences into the baking process to accommodate increased demand for their goods. As many of the other bakeries closed in Buffalo, the additional business shifted in their direction. The good thing about the addition of new baking equipment is their ability to keep prices down. So not only is the customer getting quality bread, they are getting it at very affordable prices. These days, 35% of Luigiis business is dedicated to the making of pastries, which is something new to the bakery, which at one point dedicated production to only bread.

Make sure that you check out the attached slideshow. I asked Frank what music he would like to go with the photos and he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up to my ear. He said, iMake it the same as my ring tone, please.i

Luigi's Family Bakery is located at 83 Forest Ave, Buffalo, NY. (716) 883-5507.