Lanci's Bakery, an Ode to the Italian

   
     

      Back in December I had the privilege to visit and chat with one of Philadelphia's finest artisanal bakers: Larry Lanci, a 4th generation South Philadelphia Italian following a tradition over 90 years old. Lanci's is nestled in a residential area that to this day that remains strongly Italian. There is an attitude here, a certain pride about the people that came before them, the beliefs they had, and the way they lived. There are still Italian bakers scattered around South Philadelphia but few of them have remained true to their roots, making compromises over the years to meet the demands of an evolving consumer culture. I found Lanci's to be a shinning example of respect to tradition.


At the turn of the twentieth century Italy was bustling. After 1000 years of invasions, wars, coup de tats, and crowning of holy roman emperors things started to change. Geographical borders had been laid, an identity invented and the boot on the Mediterranean had been unified under one flag. A whole slew of technological advances in textile production, agriculture, and industrial manufacturing lead Italy into a population boom. One of the major issues Italy has always faced and which only complicated things for many during this period is the sheer impassable nature of the mountains. Even with the demand for factory labor growing overpopulation and unemployment led to food shortages for many Italians. In 1906 and 1908 two catastrophes added to pressure on the impoverished. Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 1906 decimating Naples and leaving the area crippled. In 1908 a tidal wave in the southwest killed over 100,000 in Messina alone. With all of these factors in play, impoverished Italians began to turn their ambition to opportunities across the Atlantic.

By the 1920’s America’s east coast was jammed full of Italians seeking to return home with newly earned wealth. This was the largest emigration from any one European nation into America. Many of them seeking to return home stayed near the docks looking for work in factories, on railroads, or with their own business ventures. In New York and Philadelphia these communities flourished and grew into powerful and influential organizations, settled their roots, and today we can clearly see the influence it has had on our culture.


     Over the years Italians have offered a lot to our country. A staggering amount of physical labor, baristas, devout Catholicism, but above all else really amazing food. Italian cuisine is something any modern cook worth their salt has invested some time into, from staple foods like classic pasta dishes to amazing cheese (don't get me started on cheese). Larry's bread is one piece of the puzzle dating back to the Roman empire, a simple recipe that has stood the test of time: Water, flour, salt, yeast, and most of all love.
                               

     2:00 A.M. on December 16th and hovering around 16 degrees I made my way to Lanci's. This is the part of baking I have always admired, these folks wake up at absurd hours and work until sunrise. At Lanci's this time of the year things get rolling about 1:00 in the morning. The 93 year old coal oven built by Angelo Lanci in the early 1920's takes some love to get cooking. A brick oven is a beautiful thing and watching it roar is sight to see.

     Keep in mind it's really frakking cold outside, the bakers must consider a few factors when planning production for the day: The size of the batch, the humidity, and the temperature. All of these factors play into how long the bread will take to rise, and how much water and yeast are needed for each batch. This delicate interplay between time and environment is what defines Lanci's as an artesanal baker.

     Everything here is done in proper old school fashion. The only machine involved is the giant mixer. From slapping dough by hand to using a 30ft long peel to set the loaves in the oven there is a fantastic amount of skill and attention that goes into making a Lanci loaf.

    Over the course of my visit our conversation ranged from politics, philosophy, tradition, community, family, beach parties, motorcycles, music, and cheese. I was perched with my camera in the corner standing on a precarious milk crate. Wild heat seeping towards me from a small crack in the oven door, the intoxicating smell of 400 degree bricks and baking bread put us in good spirits throughout the latter part of our interview. Around 5:00am while we were waiting for the bread the conversation got pretty heavy. We had been talking about the mob, politicians, and working class struggle over the past 50 years. It's never been easy for a baker but today making an honest product and selling it for a fair price seems almost like insanity. The amount absorbed by unnecessary bureaucratic money-grabbing makes keeping an honest business open somewhat next to impossible. Corporate giants dominate every sector of production, importation, transportation, and retail. They enjoy the benefits of fat subsidies and incentives to saturate any market that might exist all while small business is only an after thought in the macro-market corporatocracy.

Hear me, people: We have not to deal with another race- small and feeble when our fathers first met them, but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possession is a disease with them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break but the poor may not. They take their tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich and those who rule.   
                                                                                                                  -Chief Sitting Bull, speaking           
                                                                                               at the Powder River Conference in 1877

    This is a fairly good way to sum up the conversation I had that night. While I spent the evening with Larry and his crew I got the feeling that all that didn't matter though. They are happy people. Devoted to a process and a philosophy about keeping things simple. I want to see more of this which is really the reason I started this blog. I'd like to be able to share more stories and meet more great people.

Larry continues to breath life into his work. The two other bakers I met that evening we're equally passionate about this establishment and their interest's in good food.

Larry Lanci, Visionary, Prophet, Philosopher, Baker.