Name: Kelly Lynch
Name of your Company: Scafuri Bakery
- Tell us about your business and its history or a story of inception.
Scafuri Bakery was started by my great great grandfather in 1904 after he
immigrated to America from Calabria, Italy. It was a staple part of the
Little Italy neighborhood for over 100 years. His daughter Annette took
over in the 1950’s and ran the business as well as a few others over the
decades. In 2007, as she was nearing 90 years of age, she closed the
family business. A few years later, my aunt Michelle and I, hoping to carry
on the family tradition, renovated the space and reopened the bakery in
2013. The neighborhood was thrilled and we still have daily visitors
stopping in to tell us they used to visit this bakery ‘back in the day.’
We are a traditional Italian bakery in a contemporary world. We try to
marry the old and the new: We still make many of the recipes passed
down through generations, as well as popular pastries and specialty cakes
for wedding and events. We have a cafe and coffee menu that keep us
very busy on weekends, and we even ship our classic Italian cookies
across the country through our online store.
- What is the most fascinating part of your business that people wouldn’t know
about? That it’s not nearly as glamorous as tv shows make it out to be. Baking in
a commercial kitchen is very physically demanding and often tedious. But
being able to show something from your work at the end of each day is
very satisfying.
- If you could tell your younger self one thing about the business that would prove
invaluable, what would it be? When I got started, I had a vague idea that it would be a lot of work.
Nothing can really prepare you for the amount of energy and
commitment starting and running a business really requires. At the same
time, nothing can really prepare you for how invigorating and satisfying
that challenge can be. Though I probably wouldn’t tell my younger self
this, because it’s one of those things you have to learn by doing. I would
tell her to delegate as much as possible. And I’d give her all of the Excel
formulas and tips that I’ve learned over the years that make the business
stuff so much easier! (Pivot tables changed my life!)
- Where was your last vacation and what is your dream vacation?
I try to go on one big vacation a year. Last year was Guatemala and this
month I will be heading to Dominican Republic for a much needed break
between Mardi Gras and Easter, two of our biggest holidays. I also
recently went to Harry Potter World which was magical. (I’m a
Ravenclaw.)
- What is your favorite saying or your “words to live by”? “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
- What was the most influential book you ever read? I love reading (I’m all about Audible these days) and I don’t think I could pick just one influential book. But my favorite novel is House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.
- What’s your favorite thing about partnering with Catalyst Ranch? I attended an event at Catalyst Ranch a while ago and thought the space and concept was genius and incredibly fun. I love businesses that do things a little differently. Partnering with CR made so much sense and I hope our breakfast pastries will add to the great experience of the visitors!
- What artist, living or dead, do you want making the portrait of you for your
museum? I’d like my portrait to be a live musical theater performance with large
group numbers. The whole museum would be a multi-media interactive
experience where visitors could explore their creativity in various ways.
That’d be fun.
- What are you most proud of? Definitely the bakery. I’m proud at how far we’ve come these past four years. I’m proud of where we’ll go from here, though I don’t quite know what that looks like yet!