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Imagine waking up in the morning, walking downstairs and stepping foot into a room where the cases are filled with cookies, cakes and cannolis along with other delicious treats. For Cristina Benigno (formerly Potito), this wasn’t a dream as her family resided in the apartment above Potito’s Bakery, 1614 W. Ritner St. Her father, the late Carmen Potito opened the business 30 years ago (last weekend marked the 10th anniversary of his passing). These days, the upstairs space is being used for cake decorating, but the location continues to enjoy the sweet taste of victory from its loyal customers in the cannoli and bakery categories.
“We really appreciate that our customers love us,” Cristina, who shares ownership with her husband Matty, said.
The owners take great pride in their cannolis, as all of the employees wear brown T-shirts or sweatshirts that include “Cannoli 1” in powder blue writing on the back.
Like most businesses, the operations have expanded just a tad, especially when it comes to the wedding/special occasion cake business. Last year, the family scored a huge victory when they made the multi-tier, eye-catching cake that was served at the Hamels Foundation fundraiser.
“When my dad had the bakery, if we did 10 wedding cakes in a year it was a lot,” she said. “Now, we do 10 in one day.”
“We are always trying something different. We are not afraid to change things.” .
The owners also seem to have no fear about expanding — now totaling six locations from Center City (with its own cake decorating stage) to the Jersey Shore. During the summer months, the family splits their time between Philadelphia and Wildwood. Antonio Potito — Carmen’s father — still arrives at the South Philly location every morning while most people are still sleeping. With the multiple locations, it takes a lot more people to deliver consistently satisfying results.
“We do have a great staff from our managers to the people washing our pots,” Cristina said. “It really is a team effort.”
Of course, Carmen Potito and his wife Maria, are the ones who get the credit for mixing the foundation to this family success story. When asked about the future projects, the owner simply responded “we might have something up our sleeves.”
The hotly contest cannoli category saw Termini’s enjoy a second-place filling while Isgro’s ice third-place honors. The duo duplicated the results for top bakery.
Contact Editor Bill Gelman at bgelman@southphillyreview.com or ext. 121.
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