About Us
THE BELLA NAPOLI BAKERY TRADITION
ALL ABOUT FAMILY TRADITION AND DEDICATION TO QUALITY BAKING
John V. Mainella, an entrepreneurial spirited young man from near Naples, Italy began the first Bella Napoli bake shop in 1957 in Troy, New York, from a vacant storefront on River Street which continues to remain a successful bakery today in upstate New York. John started the business soon after he learned the bakery trade at the Royal Bakery on Jefferson Street, Troy, New York. John’s initial baked products included Italian bread, pizza dough, and submarine rolls which Phyllis Mainella, his wife not only helped bake but also sold in the store. After the first year, John’s brother Michael, who also worked at the Royal Bakery, joined John in the new family business.
In 1982, Dominic Mainella, John’s eldest son, opened a second location, a 4000-square-foot shop, located at 672 New Loudon Road in Latham New York; named Bella Napoli Bakery, Sandwich and Coffee Café. Before long, the business grew rapidly as cakes and pastries were added to Dominic’s line of bakery items. Sales took off immediately exceeding the family’s wildest expectations and forcing them to face the enviable challenges of adapting to rapid growth.
Today, Bella Napoli products which are still produced by the Mainella family, have achieved a reputation of high quality and unforgettable taste. Bella Napoli specializes in authentic Italian breads, pastries, cookies, and biscotti, but also caters to American tastes with a broad array of donuts, muffins, Danish, and rolls. Its Italian specialties include Sfogliatelle, a very flaky pastry filled with sweet ricotta cheese and diced orange peel. People drive from different counties for the bakery’s signature cannoli, available in raspberry, cappuccino, and other flavors. Baba is another popular favorite, an Italian sponge cake soaked in rum, which the bakery offers plain or filled with Italian vanilla custard or cannoli fillings. Simply said, no matter at what time you walk into Bella Napoli Bakery, whether in Troy or Latham, you will enjoy the pleasure of gazing on a cornucopia of classic Italian and American baked goods as inviting to the eye as they are to the palate.
Both stores showcase these delicious bakery offerings while Bella Napoli Bakery and Café in Latham offers soups and sandwiches made from the finest meats and cold cuts served on Bella Napoli baked breads.
Today, Dominic Mainella, president of Bella Napoli Bakery employs 90 dedicated men and women and continues to expand his line to offer other creative types of Italian and American pastries.