“Families in Italy, Sicily, the United States and Canada have been involved in the food industry in some form for over a century,” Palozzi says, “specifically my great-grandparents from Sicily were able to sell their bakery and emigrate their family to the United States. My mother was a great cook, coming from a family of great cooks, and her death in 2016 was what inspired me to start the business in her memory.”
Palozzi considers this family connection one of the best things about running Andiamo: He feels connected to his roots and his family, especially his mother, who begged him to let her open a bakery with her brothers (though she was too busy raising her children and never did).
“When Pallozzi moved to Ohio from New York more than 30 years ago, he noticed that while there was a large Italian-American population there who fondly remembered the traditional desserts they grew up eating, there were very few Italian bakeries. He decided to open the type of Italian bakery he wanted to see. His multicultural New York upbringing is also reflected in the menu.”
In addition to baked goods, Andiamo offers a rotating menu of delicious grab-and-go items every Friday that have roots across the globe and include Italian lasagna, German spaetzle, French potato leek soup, and Middle Eastern hummus.
The post-COVID economy has been tough for Andiamo, like many businesses, but Andiamo means “let’s go” in Italian, and Parozzi is applying that spirit to his business: His immediate goals are to open a small sit-down cafe and expand his product line.
Andiamo Artisan Bakery is located at 346 N. 3rd St. in Hamilton. It is closed Saturday through Monday and open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
