Foti's Italian Bakery, makers of Foti's bread, a family favorite for generations in Oneonta, closed when the family decided they had worked long and hard enough. The sound of wailing rang through the hills of Otsego County. The business was sold to an out of town bread maker but, rather than continue Foti's as such, they brought their own recipe into the old bakery. It was good bread, but it was not the same, and the bakery closed after a few years.
There is a family account of Uncle Bud Fieg driving from Missouri to Oneonta to visit his family, stopping at the grocery store to pick up a loaf of Foti's, and eating half of it before he reached the cash register.
Richard Fieg of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. had hopes that he had found a reasonable facsimile in St. Louis, and was kind enough to send a couple of loaves along to Greg Fieg in Oneonta for his birthday. It was good bread, but not Foti's. The distinguishing characteristics of Foti's were in the crunchy crust, and the soft, very moist interior full of air bubbles - with the consistency of mashed potatoes but not mealy - just the right amount of leavening and a generous coating of corn meal on the bottom. And the taste....
The building at 42 River St., which will observe its 100th anniversary next year, recently was converted into an Italian bistro called Dazzo's Kitchen, run by a 30-year-old restauranteur. The restaurant has a wood-fired oven and has received positive reviews, but has made no attempt to revive Foti's bread. If they did, Oneontans would beat a path to their door.
It is difficult to believe that a product so beloved could dry up and blow away.
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