What's your Gonnella Story?

my second name is gonnella gonnella'z rule

My mother Joan who is now 78 would tell the story of how her father would send her to DeKoven Drug Store on the Southeast Side to get Gonella Vienna Bread. The store was about a 3-4 block walk from their house.There were times when she would return with a loaf that may have been a day old and my grandfather would send her back out to get a fresh loaf of bread.

I received this message from my friend: "I forgot to tell you that I gave the large round loaf of bread you gave me to my 104 year old grandmother and she loved it and wanted to make sure I said thank you to you So thank you". My first though was how cool this is that she remembered Gonnella bread and still eats it and my second though was I wonder if she actually knew Mr. Alessandro Gonnella!

When I was younger growing up in Elmwood Park and just learning how to drink alcohol, oh maybe I was 18 or 19 years old, my friends and I would be out VERY late on the weekends. All of us were huge Gonnella bread fans, as all of us grew up at famous local food shops that featured Gonnella products like JOHNNIES BEEF, JIM AND PETE'S, and ALPINE'S SANDWICH SHOP, to name but a few. Coming home on a couple of those VERY late nights we noticed a Gonnella bread truck making its delivery to ALPINE'S, it must have been 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning---- and we couldn't believe that the big bag of bread was just left out in front leaning against the door !!! OH MERCY ! Could it be any easier to score a whole bag of fresh, crusty, delicious Gonnella bread ? Well, even though I had enough of a good upbringing to resist the strong temptation myself, I couldn't stop my compadres from a little bit of larceny !! I insisted on being dropped off at home before the mission to score the bread was engaged--- Momma didn't raise no fool !! What I absolutely couldn't resist was waiting on my porch for ten minutes or so to collect 4 or 5 loaves as a goodnight gift from my friends !! I don't know if I've ever had bread so good as on those several nights it was 'gifted' to me when I was a kid in Elmwood Park---truly that wonderful, fragrant, amazing Gonnella bread was the perfect cap to a long evening out ! Now, at age 53, and having been a loyal Gonnella fanatic for a good 40 years, I can share this story of youth, hunger, and mischief---after all, the statute of limitations is long gone ! Besides, Gonnella was definitely an accomplice to the crime----if it wasn't Gonnella Bread, none of us would have been the least bit interested !!

I've loved Italian Beef on Gonnella Bread for as long as I can remember. When working as a Chef I always insisted on Gonnella. I have memories of enjoying Italian beef and giardinera on the very distinctive Gonnella French bread during several milestones of my life: before going into the hospital when I was 16, High School graduation, the day my son was born after being at the hospital for 13 hours, and taking special out of town guests for their very first Italian Beef. It tastes as great today as when I started eating it nearly 50 years ago. If you love food, you love Gonnella bread. Gonnella is one companies that makes the Chicago food industry the best in the US.

I remember eating Goneela bread always as a child for Sunday dinner with Spaghetti and meatballs. However, Gonella is the reason I met my wife on the CTA going home. In 1986 Gonella was selling a loaf of bread for your 100th anniversery at Daley Center downtown. I saw my future wife with a loaf of Gonella. We starting dating that summer and we were married in October 1988. See Gonella brings people together! Happy anniversery to one of the oldest business establishments in the City of Chicago and one of the oldest Italiam American companies in Chicago. Romamo Beverage used to hold that but they were sold a few years back.

I had my first contact with Gonnella as I child growing up in Chicago on the Northwest side during the 1960's. In the 1980's I joined Rush Occupational Healthcare and Gonnella Bread was a long time client of. Through my business contacts with the Gonnella/Marcucci Family, I had many interactions with the employees on all levels. What I noticed about the Gonnella company that stood out from the rest of the firms in Chicago was that your employees truly loved to work there and that they felt cared for and important by the upper management of the company. All levels of staff are approachable and are very welcoming. This was truly a breath of fresh air and made me even more proud to be associated with Gonnella Bread as a provider of healthcare services!

Growing up we always went grocery shopping on Saturday mornings--a chore none of us relished but for our big reward. I remember fondly sitting down every Saturday after the grueling grocery shopping with my family for lunch with a big loaf of Gonnella bread and some very yummy Italian cold cuts. The next day we toasted that left over Gonnella bread for breakfast--I can still taste that toast with eggs and bacon in my mind-- it was soooo good. To this day when our now far flung family gets together we make sure that we share at least a Gonnella sandwich lunch, if not a Gonnella toast breakfast.

It was a February Day, back in the early 80s. I was a Route Manager for Gonnella at the time. It was 10 pm on a Saturday night and the Bakery called to inform me that the gas went out, and we still had half our production to complete. I immediately left my house in Naperville to head down to the bakery. As we know in this business, any time the ovens stop it is at least three hours before you will see the next loaf. After I arrived I asked all the drivers to go out with the product they had and that I may need them when they completed their routes. The next several hours were spent trying to get the Gas Company to fix the problem. To make this already long story short, I found a crew Downtown, and got them to respond. The gas came on at 7am.The ovens were fired up. The phones were ringing off the hook. The drivers all returned, and NOT ONE of them left to go home, as was their option. At 10 am, the bread was coming down. The shipping clerks were gone. The drivers started bagging the bread. We had 15 cars lined up at the docks with trunks open. Now the phones are really ringing. One by one we loaded each car. By 11am they were all on their way. By 11:30 the phones were silent.

'Its swella fella; buy Gonnella' Red Rush Who can forget the 1963 championship for Loyola and Red's trademark phrase.

I grew up on Flournoy st in front of McLaren Elementary school in the 60s.This area, known as little Italy is where my mom would send me to Bill and Mollys corner Grocers and get our long and soft Gonnella Italian bread! Mrs Nitti our Neighbor and family friend told us it was the best. I am married now and we have 3 grown children and we still visit my family in Chicago.We visited last May and the first thing I did before getting to my brothers house is ask him to stop at a store to get Gonnella bread!Ahh! Memories can still happen with this wonderful Italian bread.This April I am planning a baby shower for one of my daughters and our theme is Italian!!I asked my brother to send me Gonnella Italian bread for the party!Cannot wait, thankyou Gonnella for making not only bread, but family memories! Sincerely Mrs Ruth Villanueva

In the late 1950's my parents and I moved from Chicago to northwest Arkansas. My sister had married and stayed with her husband and young son in the Berwyn-Cicero area. During summer vacation I returned to the area to care for my nehew - one of my favorite recollections is getting up around 3AM and getting a hunk of butter, a knife and a bunch of napkins, piling in the car and driving to your location to pick up a fresh hot loaf to eat in the car. I think the "glob" was and still is my favorite. I am planning on coming to Chicago some time this year, and will make sure to stop by.

Wow it seems like just yesterday when I worked for Gonnella Baking Company. Hard to believe it has been 12 years. I met so many great people and made so many new friends. I must admit it was strange at first working with my Dad and Brother but we had such good times. I think the greatest part of working at Gonnella was meeting my husband. I worked in the order room and one of our accounts was John Crane. Randy would call in the orders everyday, we starting talking, eventually met and the rest is history. We have been married for 10 years and I couldn't be happier. Angela