Sweets for the Sweet: A Great Vintage Find From a Beloved Bakery Company

What is old is certainly new again - thanks to a tremendous amount of elbow grease and skilled restoration!  Take a look at this fantastic metal workstation that I recently spotted at a New England Antique Shows event in January.  I couldn't believe my eyes - or ears - when I learned that this contemporary looking piece is almost a century old.  Take a look for yourself here...

Front of island workstation

Back of island workstation

There is nothing sweeter than a great vintage find - and this one from a legendary supplier of baked goods really takes the cake.  Here we have a 1930's era metal island workstation from the Stella D'Oro factory bakery in the Bronx.  It measures approximately 36" high, 30" wide, and 72" long.  The top is made from stainless steel, and the bottom is solid steel.  (Interestingly, when the dealers purchased the island, it was covered in thick white paint - hats off to them for recognizing the inner beauty hiding beneath it!) The workstation has much storage space; because it was designed for maximum functionality, the bottom areas are accessible from both sides of the island.  The front of the piece has two large cut-outs while the back of the piece has a large cut-out, a small cut-out, and a top pull-out drawer; all cut-outs are covered by matching twin doors.  The workstation was made by a New York firm called James and Kirkland which manufactured a full line of industrial products; the company is no longer in business.  

The former Stella D'Oro factory in the Bronx

This island - and all the goodies produced on it - certainly were part of the recipe behind the success of the Stella D'Oro Biscuit Company.  Many people know Stella D'Oro as a manufacturer of Italian-inspired baked goods.  The name Stella D'Oro translates to "star of gold" in Italian.  The company was founded almost 80 years ago by immigrant Joseph Kresivich.  Joseph arrived in the US from Italy in 1922 and got his feet wet in the industry by working in bakeries around New York City.   In 1928 he married his wife, Angela, who was also passionate about baking.  Joseph and Angela launched Stella D'Oro in 1932; the factory was located on West 237th Street at the north end of Kingsbridge in the Bronx.  The family also operated a restaurant next door to the factory as a side business.  Stella D'Oro remained a family company until 1992 when it was sold for $100 million to Nabisco, which later became part of Kraft Foods in 2000.  Today, the company is owned by Lance and all Stella D'Oro products are manufactured in a plant in Ohio.  

Today, Stella D'Oro products are distributed and enjoyed nationwide.   Their most popular product lines include biscotti, "S" shaped breakfast treats, breadsticks, and cookies.  The company's goodies even has some "unexpected" enthusiasts.  Stella D'Oro's legendary "Swiss Fudge Cookies" are produced without milk or butter, and are therefore considered "pareve" by Orthodox Jews  As a matter of fact, the Orthodox community has even endeared the treat with a nickname - "shtreimels" - the Yiddish term for round fur hats worn on the Sabbath.   

I would like to thank Scott Smith from Schwarz Smith Antiques for sharing this tasty find with us.  Scott and his wife run their company in a studio on the same property as their York, Maine home. In addition, with friends they own Withington and Company Antiques.  To learn more about this island workstation, please contact Scott directly at 207-363-2220 or highroad47@yahoo.com.

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