Ithaca Bakery and Collegetown Bagels

Ithaca Bakery and Collegetown Bagels (CTB) are local bakeries in Ithaca, New York that make up the Ithaca Bakery Company.
History
Opening on May 14th 1910, Ithaca Bakery has existed in Ithaca, in the same location, for more than 100 years starting from when the city of Ithaca was only 22 years old. This original bakery catered largely to the community of Italian immigrants living in Ithaca, drawn by construction and factory jobs. In 1947, Bruno Mazza Sr sold the bakery which he had opened to the Zazzara family. They operated the bakery until the late 1980s, as a largely wholesale operation (selling to grocery stores, and businesses). After this the Brous and Mehaffey families, who already owned Collegetown Bagels, took ownership of the bakery. Today, the bakery remains in use at the same location, with around 60 employees and with the business having expanded to also include many other gourmet food products .
Locations
Collegetown Bagels
Collegetown Bagels (CTB), located on College Avenue at the edge of Cornell University's campus in Ithaca, New York, is one of five Brous & Mehaffey stores, the original being Ithaca Bakery. Originally, the restaurant was started by three young entrepreneurs from Long Island. After one year of business, CTB was sold to a local business who owned Rulloff's, a bar and restaurant right next door. Gregar Brous began working at CTB for his last two years in college, while his parents, Anne and Ira Brous, taught at Ithaca College. After a second location was opened on Aurora Street in downtown Ithaca, both stores were put up for sale. In December of 1981 the restaurants were purchased by the Brous & Mehaffey family. Within three years, CTB Appetizers (now another Ithaca Bakery located in the The Shops at Ithaca Mall) was opened as a deli and full-service catering center .

While all five restaurants are owned and operated by the same family, each location is an independent organization and Collegetown Bagels is especially different given its unique college town location on College Avenue. Cornell students are the main consumers at this location, who have ranked the bakery among the top 10 coffees on campus in the Cornell Daily Sun . Many articles have been written about the establishment in the on-campus newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, including a feature on the popularity of the organization on late weekend nights. As Ithaca bars close at 1:00am, CTB remains open until 2:00am, oftentimes becoming a hot spot for students to gather once the bars have declared last call . But since going wireless in 2004, Collegetown Bagels has also drawn a large crowd of students during the week, as well. The restaurant is often filled with students utilizing the free wireless Internet while completing homework assignments or holding group meetings .
Sustainability
Ithaca Bakery uses three key initiatives to support sustainability: organics and fair trade, solar power, and reducing waste. In the restaurant, there are notations of which organic flours are used in each of their breads. Additionally, the Cayuga Coffee that is served at Ithaca Bakery is Fair Trade-certified and organic, except for two flavored varieties.

The bakery also partnered with Renovus Energy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to install a 15kW grid-connected solar electric system by installing 90 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of the eatery. These solar panels generate about 10% of the energy that it uses through the PV system and saves about 22,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, about the consumption of 32 trees. The owners have placed a digital display that provides instantaneous power output, total energy produced, and the quantity of carbon dioxide avoided near the entrance of the building.

The eatery also prides itself on the commercial composting and recycling system that has been implemented. The eatery provides the option of reusable or compostable cutlery and plates, and encourages customers to compost any food waste and compostable utensils in the designated bins. There are also containers dedicated to recycling that collect glass, cans, plastic, paper, and newsprint.
Menu
On its menu, Ithaca Bakery includes soups, sandwiches, set menu platters for large groups, drinks and chips. In addition, their menu changes every day according to new items they are offering that day. Their sandwich menu includes different types of sandwich categories, including paninis, breakfast sandwiches, hoagies, bagel sandwiches, and deli.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu