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Pocono News Section
Booming Business for Lent at Landmark Bakery
Booming Business for Lent at Landmark Bakery - Friday, February 19, 2010 at 11:31AM EST
Reported by: Mark Hiller
Friday, Feb 19, 2010 @ 11:31am EST
OLD FORGE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - Fridays during lent mean many people will have pizza for lunch or dinner.
That means big business for a 103-year-old Lackawanna County bakery in a town that calls itself "the pizza capital of the world."
Nearly a thousand pounds of dough get churned through a giant mixer at Agostini Bakery.
It's dough that's the staple of the pizza many Old Forge restaurants serve-up.
Meatless Fridays of lent mean big business here.
"Pretty busy. This is the time for pizza," said Agostini Bakery President Bob Agostini.
And it's not just businesses buying the dough and pizza shells.
Bob's father, Sam Agostini, waits on customers who've come to pick up their own pizza kits.
Each kit consists of 2 shells, sauce and cheese.
And just like building a good house, a good pizza starts with a good foundation -- in this case the dough.
"Well, the dough is delicious," said Alissa Ranieli of Duryea
The pizza kits are appealing for moms like her.
"And I have 3 small kids so it's hard to go out and eat with them because they're all over the place. So, it's easier to stay home and make your own," said Ranieli.
It's an affordable option, too, that often has customers thanking Bob Agostini.
"They say boy this is great. 2 trays of pizza for $13," said Agostini.
Workers are extra busy cranking out the dough that goes into those pizza shells -- even extra crews are brought in to meet the lenten season demand.
Bag upon bag of flour is fed into the hopper and that goes into the mixer along with other ingredients like corn sugar, malt and yeast... and of course water. But what makes the Agostini dough taste so special? That part is a secret.
What's no secret is that people love that Old Forge pizza. | | |
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