Utica Bakery
Draws Devotees from Near and Far WRITTEN BY DAVID MCCREARY | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
IT’S 8:45 A.M. on a rainy Friday, and New York native Amanda Lampuri has arrived at Utica Bakery in Apex, a fixed-location food truck that’s open just three days a week. Lampuri is picking up an order of Belgian chocolate eclairs and other delectable pastries for her uncle’s 75th birthday celebration. “My family is first-generation Italian, and we love this place,” Lampuri said with a smile, as she huddled underneath the bakery’s awning to avoid getting drenched. “It’s a hidden gem.”
On any given Friday, Saturday and Sunday, loyal enthusiasts like Lampuri queue up to get their fill of European-style sweet and savory items. Based on the steady flow of customers – some of whom drive from as far away as South Carolina and Virginia – and the rave reviews on social media, it’s safe to say Utica has developed a cult-like following. “It’s so humbling because we are totally a word-of-mouth, mom-and-pop business,” said co-founder Phil DeSim-
one, who started the bakery along with his wife, Renee DeSimone, and son, Vincent “Vinny” DeSimone. “We bake staples of Utica (New York), where we came from, and these are our family recipes. There’s a lot of labor involved in making the products, but it’s a labor of love.” The DeSimones started the familyowned bakery shortly after Vinny, a graduate of Wake Technical Community College’s culinary arts program, began experiencing epileptic seizures.
Phil DeSimone, of Utica Bakery in Apex, walks Amanda Lampuri back to her car, holding an umbrella so she and her pastries stay dry. 72
AUGUST 2021
