Keeping it in the Family
The Filippous reopened Guiseppe’s Italian Bakery with an eye toward rebranding. By Mark Berger Tim Filippou has been around food since he was 7 years old. He worked with his father when he owned a pizza and grinder restaurant in North Kingstown. Filippou learned the ins-and-outs of the food and restaurant industry and how to prepare some of the more popular menu items. It was something ingrained inside of Filippou from early on, that would lead him to his lifelong career. His latest venture is reopening Guiseppe’s Italian Bakery, located at 1101 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence. Along with his daughter, Nicolette, they offer the freshest in sandwiches, calzones, and pastries. Most of their food is made from scratch at the bakery, such as Filippou learned from his father many years ago. In the first several weeks since reopening, we have seen an increase in business. They envision that trajectory continuing upward as the weather continues getting warmer. “We have enjoyed a steady stream of customers since we opened,” Filippou said. “Much of our initial customer base has been through word-of-mouth advertising. We have a good lunch crowd and see people returning to order their favorites.” Among those “favorites” customers keep coming back for 10 Shop In RI
include calzones (particularly the pepperoni and cheese), spinach pies, and baklava. While there are some clear favorites, most items are not staying inside the display cases for very long. Filippou laughed at the notion of having a “typical” day. Sometimes, he will arrive at 8:00 AM to begin making his fresh dough for that day’s items. Other days, he might return after they close to get a jump on the next day and stay until 12:00 midnight. He employs a baker to assist with the breads and other items on their menu.