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[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.
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James and John Caputo
Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan and Margaret Fraser
April 08, 2010
Call number: 2008.031.2.002
0:31 - Introductions; biographic details of father John & son James, family history of 2 prior generations; John recalls bi-lingual surroundings & Carroll Gardens businesses
11:39 - Trolleys & pushcarts; moving bakery to Court St. to make way for expressway; nearby longshoreman's union; bakery businesses change hands in family
19:43 - John and James coming into business; hard demands of work then vs. modern convenience now; James' childhood and where he grew up; adapting to times
27:49 - Growing product line to compete; evolving eating habits; closeness with competitor and pastry shops; business started with home delivery
36:51 - John's great grandfather's immigration; family's baking education; changing bread styles and qualities; a master of bread crumbs
47:10 - Their childhoods and John's father-in-law in baking business; John meeting his wife; store necessities in '40s; 2010 clientele and offerings
56:28 - Customizing to diverse clientele; truck delivery to Brooklyn stores & restaurants; computer & mobile phone efficiencies; James' study & career in finance, then switching
65:07 - The "Atkins" scare; changes in oven tech.; Brooklyn water quality; bakery job descriptions
75:21 - Favorite breads; Sicilian white bread process & result
80:53 - Specialty Sicilian bread, Scalita, memorably made by John's dad; bakers & helpers changed from Italian American to Latino; next generation and bakery's future; semi-retiring John
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with James and John Caputo
Born in 1941 in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn to a father from Brooklyn and a mother from Rome, Italy, John Caputo was the fourth generation to run a Caputo Bakery in Brooklyn. His son, James Caputo was born in 1971. Both Caputos enjoyed childhoods spent at the bakery shop. After being urged by his father to look into a less-physically demanding career, James studied finance and went to work on Wall Street for ten years. The son came back to the family business, and the two worked side by side. At the time of this 2010 interview, John Caputo was semi-retired.
In the interview, John and James Caputo talk about generations of the Caputo family and the business history of their co-owned Caputo Bakery in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. John describes the sequence of locations for Caputo's; one near Union and Hicks Streets that was shuttered because of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway construction in the 1940s, another at 332 Court Street, and the present one that faces that old address. John recalls the businesses and scenery of his youth. The two discuss how each came into the business and how modern life has eased the demands of long hours and baking business inefficiencies. The two identify evolving styles and quality of bread in the overall market and at Caputo's. James reflects on appreciating the bakery in his youth, achieving a career in finance, and returning to work with his father at the bakery. They go over their changing clientele, the staffing of a bakery, and different technologies used in the bakery's different ovens through the years. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan and Margaret Fraser.
The Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Business and industry series features a dynamic range of narrators. Some are well-known in their communities and others are well-known in their field. This ongoing series focuses on Brooklyn workplaces and the experiences of these narrators, as well as documents local, national, and international history. The narrators often discuss their positions as owners or operators of businesses. The oldest narrator in this series was born in 1920.
Citation
Caputo, James and John, Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan and Margaret Fraser, April 08, 2010, Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Business and industry, 2008.031.2.002; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Caputo Bakery
- Caputo, James
- Caputo, John
Topics
- Bakeries
- Bakery employees
- Baking
- Business enterprises
- Family life
- Italian Americans
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Carroll Gardens (New York, N.Y.)
Finding Aid
Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Business and industry