A mainstay of the Rochester bakery scene is packing up and moving out west.
It’s not often that you can say, the end of an era, without it sounding cliché, but in this case, it really does mark a milestone among local retailers. Gruttadauria’s Bakery closed its doors this week and will be opening up under the same name in Southern California.
The bakery opened on Jay Street in 1914 and relocated to West Ridge Road in Greece in 2004.
The current owner is Mark Gruttadauria. It was his grandfather Salvatore who started the bakery over a century ago, and now Mark is ready to pass the business off to his son, Michael. Michael and his brother Dominic wanted to try something different, and they’ve already started the new business in Temecula, California. Mark Gruttadauria says leaving Rochester is bittersweet for him.
“Because we’ve had so many good customers over the years, that we’ve done their weddings, their kids birthday cakes and everything and their kids’ wedding cakes,” Gruttadauria told WXXI News.
Mark Gruttadauria says leaving Rochester is not an easy thing for him to do.
“My whole identity as a person, the bakery has pretty much shaped who I am and everybody knows me through the bakery, so for me it’s a huge undertaking to do this and it’s hard to even think about now.”
And Gruttadauria says he and his wife will eventually move out west as well, and still be involved in the new bakery, helping their sons with the business.
“I don’t really foresee me retiring ever, a sort of semi-retirement and let them do what they have to do.”
And Gruttadauria says if you can’t live without their tasty treats don’t fret, the California bakery will continue to ship their baked goods.
