RECIPE
1 (6 1/2 oz.) can salmon
3 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. grated onion
1 T. milk
Salt & Pepper
6 slices white bread
1 egg
1 T. butter
Drain (reserve liquid), bone and flake salmon fine. Mix with mayonnaise, grated onion, and seasonings. Spread on 3 slices of bread (crusts trimmed) and cover with remaining slices. Beat egg with milk and salmon liquor. Dip sandwiches in mixture and fry them on both sides in butter until well browned. Cut diagonally and serve hot.
Over A Century of Baking
The Napolitano Bakery
“As a Belgian who has been living in Saginaw for a year now . . . Had I not discovered the Napolitano bakery, I would still be baking my own bread, in spite of the 50 different breads in the supermarkets, which my family finds impossible to eat.” E. Kahn, What’s the beef about the Netherlands? [Letter to the Editor]. The Saginaw News. March 15, 1991
In 1925, a full page advertisement in the Saginaw News promoted Saginaw bakeries. Under the slogan “Buy Saginaw Made Bread - Help Develop Saginaw, appeared the names of 23 Saginaw bakeries. Almost a century later, two of those bakeries still operate and thrive: Spatz Bakery and Italian Bakery Bread - now known as Napolitano.
Napolitano bakery traces its foundations in Saginaw back to 1915.
When the bakery’s founder passed away in 1958, the Saginaw News reported:
“Clemente Napolitano, 77, died today at his home, 1011 Sears, after a lingering illness. He formerly owned and operated the Italian Bakery for 30 years.”
“A native of Italy, Mr. Napolitano was born Oct. 4, 1880, and came to Saginaw from New York in 1915. He was a member of St. Joseph Church and Columbus Lodge.” The Saginaw News, March 13, 1958
In 1908, while still in Italy, he married Margaret Veccharielli. He started his bakery upon his arrival in Saginaw in 1915. When Margaret passed away, her obituary noted that she had operated the bakery with her husband.
City directories indicate the bakery and Napolitano home were located on Third Street. For much of its history, the company would be known simply as the Italian Bakery and remained on Third Street. Eventually, the firm’s name was changed to include the family’s name.
The bakery, now located on State Street, continues to bake bread upholding traditions established over a century ago.
The woman behind this week’s sandwich –
For the past two weeks, we have been emphasizing the bread from which sandwiches are made. However, we need to acknowledge the woman who created the recipe for this week’s sandwich: Ella Gunther Light.
She was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on February 24, 1893. As a child, she moved with her parents to Saginaw. Ella Gunther married Fred Light of Saginaw on August 14, 1922. She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the VFW Auxiliary – her husband was a World War I veteran. She passed away on July 16, 1957.