Thursday, 4:30 PM
Famous bakery rises from the ashes
By Megan Tench, Globe staff
Five months after a two-alarm fire tore through the famous Montilio's Bakery in West Quincy, destroying everything from the ovens to the counter tops, the city landmark has risen from the ashes. The sweet smell of cupcakes, cookies, and Italian pastries wafts down Adams Street once again.
"It's feels good, it looks good, and our customers are happy," said owner George Montilio, 55, who scanned his store, well known for it's gourmet wedding cakes which have been featured nationally in magazines and on television.
The family owned shop, established in 1947, also made cakes for the inaugurations of presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush at the bakery's first location in Quincy Center.
In October, a fire ripped through its walls and ceilings shutting the store down. Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the blaze.
"I'll never forget that morning," Montilio said, recalling when one of his employees called him around 5:45 a.m. to say the store is on fire. "I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'Whaddya mean it's on fire?'"
Yesterday, decadent slices of chocolate rum cake, creamy layers tiramisu, and fresh breads, pies, and colorful egg shaped Easter cakes rested neatly in glass cases. Fixings for pizzas, calzones and paninis sat on a counter behind them, near the shop's newly installed open fire brick oven.
The revamped store also now has black marble tables for customers to dine at their leisure. A flat screen television mounted high on the wall plays video on how each product is made. And it's a new cathedral style ceiling and exposed brick walls accented with burnt orange, white and yellow paint gives the place an open North End feel.
