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Sweet Talk And Sweet Treats At Bridgeport's Luigi's

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Everyone in the Bridgeport area who has had a wedding, birthday or other celebration knows Luigi’s Italian Bakery for its layered cakes, fresh from the oven cannolis, Venetian cookies, pastries, and pies. According to owner John DiMarco, a fixture in the community for more than 46 years, it’s the people who make his business so successful.

Luigi's has won numerous awards; this one is from the Best of Connecticut.

Photo Credit: tdguide
Luigi's Owner John DiMarco has been in business for 46 years.

Luigi's Owner John DiMarco has been in business for 46 years.

Photo Credit: Jeanne Muchnick
Cannoli's are a specialty at Bridgeport's Luigi's Italian Bakery.

Cannoli's are a specialty at Bridgeport's Luigi's Italian Bakery.

Photo Credit: Luigi’s Italian Bakery
The cannoli pie from Luigi's is a big hit.

The cannoli pie from Luigi's is a big hit.

Photo Credit: Luigi’s Italian Bakery
Eclairs are tempting as are the ricotta-filled sfogliatelles at Luigi's Italian Bakery in Bridgeport.

Eclairs are tempting as are the ricotta-filled sfogliatelles at Luigi's Italian Bakery in Bridgeport.

Photo Credit: Luigi’s Italian Bakery

The 73-year-old Trumbull resident who says he’s not retiring until he’s 105 – and even then it may be up for discussion -- has been satisfying sugar cravings since 1968 with old-fashioned charm and simple, high-quality ingredients – “only pure butter, eggs, fresh fruit and so on,” he says.

Weddings and events make up the bulk of his business – Luigi’s does about 40 wedding cakes a week (for all over the state) and are already booked well into 2015. But it's also well known for its award-winning mini-cannolis and the bakery’s latest creation, cannoli pies (think a pie-filled with cannoli cream, topped with whipped cream and more cannoli cream and sprinkled with cannoli chips and chocolate chips). DiMarco says they sell about 80 cannoli pies a week and 26,000 cannolis a year (and no, that’s not a typo).

Spend a few minutes with this Sicilian-born dynamo and you can’t help but be taken in by his smile, his baking knowledge (he studied in Italy), and his gentle nudging to taste something new (try the ricotta-filled sfogliatelle, a shell-shaped Italian pastry). 

“I don’t have any hobbies,” he says. “Baking is it.” And that means working seven days a week and “loving every minute of it.”

Aside from enjoying those in the community who stop by for a snack, coffee or even fresh pasta (made in a nearby warehouse), he also considers his staff, many of whom have been with him for 20 years and beyond, his family.

“I love people,” he says. “I could go on and on; there’s so much to what we do here but sometimes it’s just better for folks to come by and taste.”  

Luigi's is located at 4090 Main St. Call 203-374-4225 for information.

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