2016 was a rough time. Apple got rid of the headphone jack, among many, Gene Wilder, Carrie Fisher and Alan Rickman died, politics as a whole ran a muck and Mastroianni Bread announced that they declared bankruptcy and sold its recipes. We may not fix all of 2016, but there’s a bright light returning.
Mastroianni Bread, a staple of Schenectady foods for years, made headlines in 20216 when they announced that they would be closing. According to the Daily Gazette, Scott Davenport, owner of Schuyler Bakery in Watervliet and Futia’s Famous Dough, recently acquired the Mastroianni name and their recipes. He plans on making the bread out of his Rotterdam Corporate Park location.
Mastroianni had been in Schenectady since 1923 until they hit a rough patch when owner Armond Mastroianni died. Mastroianni Brothers Bakery sold its name and recipes to Pumilia’s Pizza Shells of Utica who continued to make the bread and sell it in stores. Though Davenport has no nostalgic connection to Mastroianni Bread, he heard about the opportunity to own the name and recipes. He says that they will start with the classics and then branch out. He’s hoping that he’ll be able to keep them in all local grocery chains.