Termini Family History
he main secret to every Termini Brothers recipe is the long history of tradition and Italian authenticity that is the foundation of our family business. Our pride, respect and dedication is baked into every cookie, candy and pastry we create.

 

1921
Our grandfather Giuseppi learned the art of creating fine pastry almost as a first language. Apprenticed to a Master Baker in Southern Italy at the age of eight, he grew up in the glowing warmth of the pastry kitchens, surrounded by the soft swishing sound of trays sliding out of the ovens, the rich scent of cookies baking and a perpetual cloud of flour.

 

1921
Our grandfather and Great-Uncle Gaetano (the original Termini brothers) perfected their pastry recipes one ovenful at a time. Today, our kitchens are equipped with state-of-the-art pastry ovens, but we still use some of the same specially-designed implements that our grandfather and his brother used... and we wouldn't dream of changing the recipes.

 

1928
Our first store in South Philadelphia. Our grandmother loved to tell us about how our grandfather would nonchalantly stroll out onto the sidewalk, wiping the flour off his hands with his apron and tease the window shoppers with such mouth-watering descriptions of the pastries behind the glass that few escaped without a square white box of cannolis or Italian cream cakes in hand.

1932
Our store was bigger and brighter. By this time, Termini Brothers pastry was a Christmas tradition that South Philadelphia just couldn't do without. Our father tells us stories about the line that would form in front of this store every Christmas Eve. People who knew the almond cookies and torrone would wait for four or five hours in the cold, listening to musicians playing traditional Italian favorites, smiling as the accordian flourishes, dreaming of Zuppa Inglese, and keeping warm with the memories of standing with their parents and grandparents in years past.

 

1996
The place looks a lot different now, but one thing hasn't changed. A Termini -- in this case, our father -- still watches over the preparation of our pastries and often trusts the finishing touches to no one else.

 

1997
Our grandfather worked in the bakery to the age of 95. He taught us the art of baking, but he also gave us somthing much more important. He taught us about the importance of tradition, truly taking pride in continuing to create these quality products. This sense of tradition has guided our family for over eighty years, enabling us to turn something as simple as a cookie into a bite of pure magic.

 

. . . And Today
There is much more to a Termini Brothers cookie than the pastry's classic ingredients. An indescribable element of tradition -- a kind of simple, direct magic passed down for over eighty years from our grandfather to our father and now to us. It is the taste and texture of fresh-baked goodness made by three generations of Termini bakers from family recipes that haven't changed since 1921.