Steubenville Bakery re-opens
An old tradition gets new ownership
CHECKING THE ROLLS — Lou Tripodi checks the rolls in the gas fired oven at the Steubenville Bakery. Tripodi closed the bakery in December because of health issues and recently agreed to sell the business to Bill Mitchell and Dean Ferguson and to teach them how to continue his traditional way of baking bread. -- Dave Gossett
BACK HOME AT THE BAKERY — Lou Tripodi takes a break at the Steubenville Bakery where he is teaching new owners Bill Mitchell and Dean Ferguson how to carry on the baking bread tradition. Tripodi re-opened the bakery recently after reaching an agreement to sell the business that has been in his family since 1937. -- Dave Gossett
NEW OWNERS — Bill Mitchell, left, and Dean Ferguson, right, stand with Lou Tripodi in the Steubenville Bakery. Tripodi agreed to re-open the family bakery after it was closed last December when Tripodi had health issues. He agreed to sell the bakery to Mitchell and Ferguson and now is training them on the art of baking bread. -- Dave Gossett
CHECKING THE ROLLS — Lou Tripodi checks the rolls in the gas fired oven at the Steubenville Bakery. Tripodi closed the bakery in December because of health issues and recently agreed to sell the business to Bill Mitchell and Dean Ferguson and to teach them how to continue his traditional way of baking bread. -- Dave Gossett
BACK HOME AT THE BAKERY — Lou Tripodi takes a break at the Steubenville Bakery where he is teaching new owners Bill Mitchell and Dean Ferguson how to carry on the baking bread tradition. Tripodi re-opened the bakery recently after reaching an agreement to sell the business that has been in his family since 1937. -- Dave Gossett
NEW OWNERS — Bill Mitchell, left, and Dean Ferguson, right, stand with Lou Tripodi in the Steubenville Bakery. Tripodi agreed to re-open the family bakery after it was closed last December when Tripodi had health issues. He agreed to sell the bakery to Mitchell and Ferguson and now is training them on the art of baking bread. -- Dave Gossett
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STEUBENVILLE -- After majoring in history and political science at the College of Steubenville, Lou Tripodi was interested in a teaching career.
"I had started working weekends at the bakery in 1960 when I was a junior at Catholic Central High School. After I graduated from high school I was working full time at the bakery and taking classes at the College of Steu
benville. I had an interest in teaching. But my brother wanted to attend law school and my sister was married, so I came back to the bakery to work with my grandfather, Louie Agresta. He was 80 some years old when he finally retired. The business was transferred to me in 1990," explained Tripodi.
According to the 71-year-old Tripodi, the original Steubenville Bakery was located on South Seventh Street.
"My family took control of the bakery in 1937. My dad had ownership and when he passed away, the ownership was transferred to my mother," said Tripodi.
"Last year in November I hurt my back. I had always had a bad back but it just kept getting worse. I thought I could close the bakery for a bit and it would get better, but it wasn't getting better. People approached me asking when the bakery would re-open and I didn't have an answer for them," related Tripodi.
"Dean Ferguson and Bill Mitchell, who own Innovative Grocers, asked me about buying the place and after we talked for awhile I consented to sell the bakery. We worked together to get everything straightened out and were able to re-open the bakery on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Once they get assimilated in this business they plan to be open all week," Tripodi said.
"They are picking up how I make the dough and bake the bread and rolls. They have been working hard and doing really good. And we brought back Frank Clark and Angel Rice who worked here before the bakery closed. I used to start at 5 a.m. and worked until 5 p.m. every day. I still come in about 5 a.m. and now leave around 2:30 p.m. I plan to stay here until they can handle it, and I may want to stay on for a couple days a week because I enjoy this work. I believe they will keep the Steubenville Bakery name for now," said Tripodi.
He admitted to "going a little stir crazy when I wasn't working here the past year."
"When you are doing something you like and can't do it for whatever reason, life changes for you. It was hard. I feel a lot better this year than I did last year. I can do more things now than I could do a year ago. A lot of people were telling me to re-open the bakery. Thank God everything worked out for me," stated Tripodi.
"Right now it is all customers stopping by the bakery. I don't have a delivery driver to take the bread to my former restaurant or store customers. We will have to see how that works out," commented Tripodi.
It didn't take long for the bakery customers to start parking in front of the business and walking down the hallway to the door where they can purchase bread or rolls from Angel Rice.
"I started here in 1989. When the bakery closed last year I found another job, but I came back here three days a week when Lou called me. I love it here and I couldn't wait to come back here when Lou called me. I missed the customers here and hope to stay here when the new owners finally take over," said Rice.
Frank Clark has worked at the Steubenville Bakery since 1989.
"I was excited when Lou called me back. I wasn't working anywhere and I liked being here. It really isn't hard work unless you make it hard. I plan to stay here as long as I can. It felt good to come back in here," related Clark.
"I missed the people when I wasn't here. They are good people. We have very good and loyal customers and you miss people like that when you don't see them. I talked to these customers for 30 to 40 years and then it was all gone. It feels good to see my friends again," noted Tripodi.
A friend and classmate from Catholic Central, Henry Mieczkowski, stopped in to buy rolls to take home.
"Lou has the best bread in town. You can't get bread like this anywhere else," said Mieczkowski.
"When I heard he had re-opened the bakery I came down immediately. I missed Lou's bread," he added while he waited for the rolls to come out of the oven.
Tripodi still makes his dough daily with "a pinch of that and a pinch of that."
No timers or clocks are needed for the brick oven.
"Our oven used to be coal fired until the city told my grandfather and father in 1955 that they had to switch to gas, but I still bake the bread and rolls the same way," explained Tripodi as he slid the wooden paddle into the oven to lift up the rolls for a quick check.
Mitchell owns the Richmond Country Market but has been able to spend time at the Steubenville Bakery to learn the Tripodi secret of making bread.
"I have a good crew at my Richmond store, and Dean and I were interested in re-opening the bakery. Lou is a good teacher and I have been learning a lot from him," Mitchell said.
"I have always been interested in the traditions of Steubenville and I didn't want to see this trademark of Steubenville go away. The opportunity came for us to buy the bakery and Bill and I grabbed the chance. We cleaned the building and painted it. We want to continue the bakery the way everyone has known it. I hope we can continue this in the Lou Tripodi way. I come here on Sundays to help out and to learn," Ferguson said as the line of customers at the bakery door continued to grow.
"Hey Lou, glad you are back," one customer yelled out.
And inside the bakery Tripodi continued to quietly teach Mitchell the proper way of sliding the loaves into the oven and when to take them out.