Vincenzo Nardone and his sweetheart, Maria Pasquino dreamed of a new beginning and starting a family. About a century ago, they embarked on a journey from Pietradefusi, a small village in the province of Avellino, Italy, to America where they established a home in the heart of the Wyoming Valley, Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. They built their grassroots business from their kitchen with the help of their friends and family from Italy who had also made this city their home. Collaboratively, they established Nardone’s Bread in a one-car garage and personally delivered their bread using a horse and buggy. Their humble business expanded from bread to hoagie rolls & breadcrumbs to the pizza Nardone Bros is known for and loved today.
As time passed, they were blessed with 8 children: Thomas, Josephine, Anthony, Stella, Louis, Linda, Frank, and Mario. Sadly, Vincenzo passed away in 1927 leaving Maria with 8 children to raise. Only two years later, the Great Depression hit. It was at this point that Maria diversified the bakery’s offerings to include various baked goods. Everyone’s main concern was that she couldn’t take care of herself and her children by just baking bread. But she had help from her daughters, Josephine and Linda, and granddaughters, Antonette, Maria, and Ann Marie.
Before Vincenzo’s passing, Nardone’s Bread primarily produced bread, hoagie rolls, and canned goods, selling fresh bread for a nickel and day-old for three cents. With no preservatives, stale bread was repurposed into breadcrumbs. However, during the war, starting in 1942, pizza became their main source of profit. There was a request for pizza at a local bar and the chef there did not want to make the pizza, so they enlisted Maria. As time progressed, pizza was sold to other bars, restaurants, carnivals, stores etc. Two of the restaurants being Perugino’s Restaurant and Neddoff’s Restaurant. Everything was handmade, from the dough to the sauce. They boiled tomatoes to make the sauce. The pizza business was created by the Nardone women. Her sons developed the business.
Maria had extra help from friends in Italy, Pritzi and Philip. Josephine, Thomas and his wife Mildred, and Anthony also helped in the family business in different capacities. Joe Waskalis was the first baker, then Anthony’s son Vincent was the second baker who kept the recipe alive through innovative techniques.
As time passed, their children entered separate paths. Thomas worked at the Maryland shipyards. Tony was working for the railroad. Josephine graduated from the Wyoming Seminary and married. Stella graduated high school and became a seamstress at local shops. Linda worked at the courthouse and dress shops. Louis joined the military during wartime and was captured as a prisoner in Belgium by the Germans on December 8th, 1944, and was held prisoner for five months. Mario was in the Navy for 22 months until the end of the war. Frank assisted his beloved mother in the business as a heart murmur prevented him from joining the military.
Louis Married Genevieve (also called Weffa) in 1952 and had four children: Maria, Mario, Vincent, and Louis Jr; Frank married Rita in 1954 and had five children: Cindy, Patty, Michael, and John; Mario married Mary in 1956 and had four children: Kathy, Tom, Mario James, and Kristin.
All the women of the household banded together while working at the bakery and raising their children. “Our family was very close, and it was like having three fathers and four mothers” recalls Tom. They were eventually forced to move out of their Washington street address due to redevelopment progress. All the cousins between the three families were almost like siblings and remain close to this day. Thus, carrying the tradition of the importance of family unity.
Following Maria’s death in 1961, Louis, Frank, Mario, and Linda became partners to run the family business and eventually be the thriving force of the business that would take it to its next level. And in 1966 they built a facility on Hazle St. and called it Nardone Bros. Baking Co. aiming to provide nutritious, high-quality products nationally.
Then a tragedy struck, Tropical Storm Agnes hit Pennsylvania on June 22, 1972. This was the worst natural disaster in the state’s history. Baking equipment either had some damage or was completely ruined as the streets were all under water in Wilkes-Barre, whose river reached a crest of 40.9 feet. Thankfully there was backup; Nardone’s quickly purchased new equipment and rebuilt existing equipment. After two weeks, Nardone’s Bros. Baking Co. was the first place that opened in town.
In 1991, the next generation of the Nardone’s stepped up to the plate. Frank Jr., Mario, Vincent Jr., Louis Jr., and Thomas became the owners of the Nardone Bros. Baking Co., Inc. As their business grew, they needed more room and while keeping the Hazle St. location for baking, they now expanded to the Hanover Industrial Park in Hanover Township where they could also produce, store, and ship their products.
In an effort to have their pizza reach more of the public, they donated it to local events and sold their pizza at drive in theaters. They also became a well-known feature at local bazaars, football games, and little leagues throughout the area. As the popularity of the pizza grew, they expanded to local school cafeterias and school events.
Their first major retail contract was established with WEIS and ACME Markets. While also having contracts with various school districts around the country.
Lydell Mitchell, Louis Nardone, Tom Nardone, and Franco Harris
On a Sunday afternoon, August 9th, 2015, another tragedy struck. At 2:30 p.m. a three-alarm fire consumed the inside of the building at Hazle St. The outside of the building clearly showed a fiercely burning fire, and the smell of smoke was still apparent Monday morning. All equipment used in the baking of pizza was destroyed. All 108 employees there were then incorporated into their Hanover Industrial Park location. Other companies called and offered their assistance and thus Nardone’s was able to purchase supplies needed to fulfill their contracts. Their main goal at this time was to keep their customers supplied.
Since the fire, Nardone’s Pizza completely moved all production to the Hanover Industrial Park location which would enhance production, storage, and shipping capabilities. A significant expansion between 2016 and 2017 incorporated cutting-edge baking equipment from global suppliers, allowing Nardone Bro’s to produce crust and introduce a second topping line. The company expanded into new techniques that weren’t available before.
Nardone Bros Pizza can now bring the highest quality products to their customers and continue the growth of their company to the national level for the next generation of Nardone’s. The company now employes over 400 people and produces over 10,000 cases of pizza per day. Their growth continued to advance using more trade shows and customer testaments which led them to feature more products.
Frank Jr., Mario, Vincent Jr., Louis Jr., and Tom have grown the business like their parents did. They have worked side by side their entire life. Louis Jr. has now retired and sadly, Frank Jr. passed away in October of 2022. Despite their growth, Nardone Bros. Baking Co. remains a family-owned business. The Nardone’s dedication to their bakery is both professional and personal, making it their business and home.
Today, Nardone Bros. Baking Co. proudly delivers over 300 pizza products across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Evolving from a modest storefront to a household name with over 80 years in business. While the original recipe has been adapted, it is steadfastly maintained through the use of innovative technology. Vincenzo and Maria Nardone’s legacy endures in a thriving business that has stood the test of time.
Either it was your/or your children’s school lunch or an essential in your family’s fridge, Nardone’s pizza is the only pizza you or your children will eat or at least one of your favorites. If you are a new customer, we welcome you to our family with open arms!
