Piedigrotta Bakery was opened in Little Italy
section of Baltimore in 2002. However, there is a long and storied tradition that
precedes its opening...
Proprietor Carminantonio Iannaccone was born in
Avellino, a city in Southern Italy near Naples, in 1946. At the age of 9, he began
working in the pastry business. At 12, Carminantonio heard of an opportunity
for work at a gelateria in Milan. This era was one of economic difficulties in
Italy, which had still not recovered totally from the devastating effects of World War
II. Feeling the need to support his struggling family, Carminantonio took the
opportunity at moved off to Milan, telling the company, Gelateria Pozzi, that he was
actually 14.
This was not a time when many people were
interested in baking desserts because few people had the money to buy anything more than
the basic necessities. Regardless, Carminantonio worked hard and learned the
trade of baking. By the age of 18,
Carminantonio had already opened several restaurants of his own.
In 1969, Carminantonio opened the original
Piedigrotta in Ponte di Piave, Italy. This restaurant, bakery, and gelato
parlor had an enormous success to the point that it was supplying restaurants with
desserts within a 200-mile radius. Piedigrotta grew into a large-scale warehouse and
distribution facility with several locations. Along with his brother, Giuseppe, who
was a pioneer in the delivery business with the company Eurogel, Carminantonio revised the
way baking and food service were done.
Among his many
accomplishments, Carminantonio is credited with the invention of the tiramisu,
now the highest-selling dessert in the world, on December 24th, 1969 in Via Sottotreviso,
while working as the head chef in Treviso (near Venice). He was also a pioneer in
the expansion of the Semi-Freddo, a type of cake that is "not quite cake and not
quite ice cream." His innovative work built the infrastructure to produce the
Semi-Freddo en masse and transport it over a large area. With over 40 years of
experience, Carminantonio is among the most accomplished master bakers that you can find
anywhere. To see his entire work experience, click here.
He
has been assisted throughout his career by his wife Bruna, whom he met while working in
Treviso. Together, they have run restaurants and exported baked goods all over
Italy. Through all of Carminantonio's ambitious endeavors in the gastronomical arts,
Bruna has tirelessly worked alongside him.
