Now and Then…my family!

…sometimes we are just made of the air we breathe!

The photo is of my dad on the left picture (he’s on the left) taken in 1953 and a photo of my brother Rob (also on the left) taken recently – in the same exact spot.  And I bet my Great-grand parents, grandparents and my dad would be proud of my brothers Rob and Marco – Mom, way to keep us all going!  Never had the opportunity to meet my Grandfather, mentioned in the article, but kinda a humbling story about life, family and business (see below).

My dad would LOVE our coffee and especially our Italian cappuccinos!  I remember he made a hobby out of trying to perfect his own rendition of a traditional cappuccino, made in a 5 oz cup, streamed milk and espresso – except back in 1970 that was nearly impossible to do with the quality of equipment and coffee available!  All I know, those days were some of my best memories…now and then!  I love tazza doro’s traditional cappuccino – maybe it should be named after my dad!

Here’s a look at the original photos a a copy of the text from the article- courtesy of John Howard and the Jeannette Spirit.  Thank you to John who keeps the history of my hometown, Jeannette, Pa, always in our view!

“The older photo, taken in 1953, shows the oven at Enrico’s Bakery on Division Street in Jeannette. On the left is owner Bob Enrico. The fellow on the right is unknown at this point. Bob’s father Ernest Enrico with his wife Elvira brought his trade over from Italy and opened his Jeannette bakery in 1920 in the “Italian” section of Jeannette known as the “South Side”  They tried other locations in Latrobe and Monessen before focusing their efforts totally back in Jeannette. Ernest had help from his young son Robert “Bob.” The second World War took Bob away for a few years, but in 1952 Bob and his wife Dora took over the bakery and operated there until they moved it to it’s current location at 610 Lowry Avenue. Their sons Rob and Marc also started in the business at a young age and in 1982 Rob took over the family business and operates it now with his mother Dora, his brother Marc and their friend John Marco, who has been there for 11 years. Enrico’s sells wholesale and retail to a lot of the finer restaurants in the Jeannette area. A number of the receipes they use are at least 100 years old and still written in Italian. Marc Enrico creates some seasonal specials including all of the old Italian Christmas and Easter pastries.

A side note of interest is that Ernest Enrico went back to Italy in 1963 to visit his brother and family who he hadn’t seen in over 43 years. Ernest and his brother both died of heart attacks within 24 hours of each other in Italy.

The newer photo shows Rob Enrico on the left and John Marco on the right. They are performing the exact same duties has Rob’s father and grandfather did for the last 90 years plus. In fact the rack on the left is the same in both pictures and the company sponsored on the hats is the same company.”