Nearly 99 percent of everything baked here is still made in-house. That’s after 100 years of business, which feels almost unheard of today.
The Italian bread still follows a recipe from 1925. The founder is also credited with bringing the first cannoli to Detroit that same year. I like knowing a recipe can outlast trends, owners, and even an entire neighborhood move.
The cannoli get filled to order with cannoli cream and chopped chocolate. The family behind the counter now includes the third and fourth generations. I can’t imagine many Michigan bakeries can say all of that at once.
What keeps a small Italian bakery going for a full century? I believe the answer starts with flour, family, and a stubborn love of doing things the slow way. Let’s see what’s in the case.
Ninety-Nine Percent Homemade Is Not A Typo
Most bakeries quietly buy in a few shortcuts. Jim Bommarito Bakery says nearly 99 percent of everything baked is still made in-house.
That includes the cannoli and the cookies. The shop describes its work as made from scratch, and that’s a lot of scratch for one Michigan bakery.
So what makes up the last one percent? The family has been refreshingly honest about it.
Tiramisu arrives frozen from Italy. Some non-Italian specialties, like shortbread and baklava, are brought in because customers asked for them.
I respect that kind of honesty. It’s easier to trust a bakery that tells you exactly what it doesn’t make.
Making everything by hand takes time, staff, and patience. It also means recipes stay under the family’s control instead of a supplier’s.
Here’s a practical tip for your visit. If you want the full homemade experience, aim for the Italian classics first.
Cookies, cannoli, breads, and pastries sit at the heart of the in-house work. Grab a mix and you’ll get a true taste of what a century of scratch baking looks like.
Greater Mack And The Old Bakery Marker
Jim Bommarito Bakery is on Greater Mack Avenue in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, just south of Nine Mile Road. Follow the Greater Mack corridor through the city’s neighborhood shopping area.
The storefront sits along Greater Mack, where a city historical marker commemorates the longtime Italian bakery. That marker and the bakery sign make a useful final pair of landmarks.
Turn into the customer lot behind the building, or use legal street parking along Greater Mack. Enter the bakery from the signed customer entrance; the shop is closed Sunday and Monday.
Cannoli Filled To Order Are The Main Event
Crunchy shells sit empty until someone orders them. That’s the whole secret behind the cannoli here, and it’s a smart one.
Each cannoli is made from scratch and filled to order. The filling is cannoli cream mixed with chopped chocolate.
Why does filling to order matter so much? A shell filled hours early can go soft, and nobody wants a soggy cannoli.
The bakery proudly calls them world-famous. It also says they’re the best in the state, which is bold talk in Michigan.
Remember, Jim Bommarito is credited with bringing the first cannoli to Detroit in 1925. So this pastry isn’t a side item here.
It’s basically the family crest in dessert form. Every shell carries a century of bragging rights.
A handy tip is to plan for them last. Pick up your bread and savory items first, then grab cannoli right before heading home.
That way the shells stay crisp for the ride. Good luck making it to the driveway without opening the box, though.
Your Cookie Tray Is About To Get Crowded
Pine nuts, almonds, figs, and sesame all show up in the cookie case. Many of these Italian cookies still follow Jim Bommarito’s original recipes.
The list is long enough to cause a mild crisis at the counter. You’ll find Almond Bars, Pine Nut Cookies, Butter Cherry, Ammaretti, and Butter Almond.
There are also Pecan Rolls, Italian Chocolate Chip, and a soft-style Anise cookie. Biscotti, Pastini, Rainbow Cookies, and Sesame Cookies round things out.
Don’t skip the Italian Cuccidata. This fig cookie gets extra charm from chocolate chips and almonds.
Each one is made from scratch with traditional ingredients. That’s a big deal when so many cookie trays come out of a factory box.
Mixing a few kinds is the easiest move. You get different textures and flavors without committing to just one favorite.
Italian cookies also make great gifts for holidays or family gatherings. A tray from a 100-year-old bakery carries a little extra weight at the table.
Just be warned. Once your relatives learn where they came from, you might become the official cookie supplier.
Bread From A 1925 Recipe Still Comes Out Daily
A bread recipe from 1925 is still working its daily shift. Fresh Italian bread gets made every day at Jim Bommarito Bakery, using that same century-old formula.
The family offers it in square and round loaves. You can also grab hard rolls, soft rolls, hot dog buns, and baguettes.
Bread wasn’t always part of the plan, oddly enough. Jim’s son-in-law, Sam Valenti, expanded the menu to include bread, pizza, and subs.
He even hired an Italian baker to teach him Italian bread making. Talk about going straight to the source.
The shelves don’t stop at Italian loaves. Honey whole wheat, 8-grain, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin, and onion rolls also join the lineup.
That variety makes this an easy weekly stop. Sandwich bread, dinner rolls, and breakfast toast can all come home in one trip.
A smart idea is to grab two loaves at once. One can go with dinner tonight, and the other can become tomorrow’s sandwiches.
Cinnamon raisin bread, by the way, makes a pretty excellent French toast. Just a friendly suggestion.
Subs And Muffuletta Worth Planning Lunch Around
Lunch gets serious once the sandwich menu enters the chat. People travel from different areas just for the subs, pizza, and muffulettas here.
The Italian Submarine Sandwich is a customer favorite. It’s stacked with Polish ham, hard salami, and provolone, plus your choice of toppings.
A homemade dressing ties it all together. Since nearly everything is made in-house, that bread underneath matters too.
Then there’s the Muffaletta. It uses an authentic round sesame-seeded loaf filled with baked ham, capicola, sharp provolone, parmesan, and olive oil.
Pepperoni Rolls are another customer favorite. They’re easy to grab, easy to share, and easy to finish too quickly.
Hosting a big crowd? Party subs are on the menu, which makes game days and family events much simpler.
Keep in mind the bakery works as a carryout spot. Plan to take your sandwiches to a park, office, or kitchen table.
Online ordering is available as well. That’s a handy option when you want lunch ready without much fuss.
Pizza Names Here Point Straight Back To Sicily
Terrasini is the Sicilian hometown of the bakery’s founders. It’s also the name of one of the pizzas, which is a sweet nod to family roots.
The Terrasini Pizza features mozzarella, fontinella, and parmesan. Its bolder cousin, the Spicy Terrasini, adds red pepper flakes and spicy pepperoni.
Craving something a bit nostalgic? The Original 1960s Style keeps it classic with mozzarella and pepperoni.
The Pompeii pizza takes a different path. It’s topped with spinach, feta, fontinella, olive oil, and chopped tomatoes.
Crust choices give you room to play. There’s a 16-inch thin crust round, a 14-inch hand-tossed round, and Sicilian style too.
Both round pizzas come cut into eight slices. Party trays are also available for larger groups.
Additional toppings can be added if you like building your own. Still, trying a named pizza first feels like the right move.
Those recipes tell a little story about the family. Plus, ordering a pizza named after an Italian town sounds way fancier than plain cheese.
Save Room For Cassata Cake, Cream Puffs, And Donuts
Cannoli cream doesn’t only live inside shells. It also fills the layers of the Cassata Cake, along with shaved chocolate and maraschino cherries.
That cake alone could justify the trip. Wedding cakes are also available, which fits since they were part of the original 1925 lineup.
Morning people get plenty of love too. Donuts are made fresh daily, and you get two free with every dozen.
The Danish pastries come in flavors like cinnamon walnut, cream cheese, almond, apple, and lemon. Strawberry, cherry, blueberry, and apricot join the party.
Coffee cakes come in those same flavors. Sam Valenti once hired a German baker to learn coffee cakes and Danish pastries.
Elsewhere in the case, you’ll spot extra-large cream puffs and eclairs. Angel Wings, Citrus Fruit Bars, brownies, and pies are also on the menu.
And yes, lemon ice and gelato still connect the bakery to its earliest days. A cup of lemon ice on a warm afternoon feels like a tiny history lesson.
The hardest part is choosing. Bring a friend so you can split more things.
A Century Earned This Family A Historical Marker
August 25, 2025, was a big day on Greater Mack Avenue. Jim Bommarito Bakery celebrated 100 years, and the City of St. Clair Shores awarded it a historical marker.
It became only the 12th location in the city to earn that honor. Not bad for a place built on cookies and bread.
The bakery moved to its current home in March 1961. Sam Valenti broke ground for the building a year earlier.
You’ll find it at 21830 Greater Mack Avenue, St. Clair Shores, Michigan 48080. Free parking sits in a lot behind the bakery, plus street parking on Greater Mack.
Today, Jim’s granddaughters Christine Corrado, Roseanne Valenti, Grace Adams, and Frances Cottone lead the business. Fourth-generation family members now work alongside them.
The shop also has a deli counter and packaged Italian specialty foods. It’s a handy place to stock your pantry while you’re there.
Plan around the schedule before you go. The bakery is closed Mondays, a tradition since the very beginning.
Current hours list Sundays as closed too. Check ahead, then come ready to leave with more boxes than planned.