At 83 years old, Sonny Orza has, quite literally, spent his life on the bakery floor. As an infant, a delivery box by the oven was his crib, where he would sleep while his parents baked through the night at the original Yonkers location (left).
As an adult, Orza grew the family business (still in existence as Orza Bakery, which was sold to another family in 2001) from just a few types of bread to a wide range of products, including seeded loaves of rye, rounds of whole wheat, baguettes, rolls, pastries, and cakes. The bakery went from local supply runs to holding contracts with big-name restaurants, hotel groups, and every major arena in the area, including Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden.
Today, Orza is still the force behind the Sonny Orza Bread Factory, which opened in 1999 in New Rochelle. In addition to filling commercial orders, the family bakery (now also run by Orza’s children) still sells retail to the local community from a cozy bakery counter, continuing the tradition started by his family nearly 100 years ago.
