Belisimo! Biagio in Stirling, NJ knows bread

When it comes to a great Jersey sandwich, it's all about the bread.

So when my producer Jordan Jansson brought me a breaded chicken cutlet, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, mayo sandwich from Biagio's, which she raves about, I couldn't believe what I was eating! We raved about it so much that Biagio himself called in.

You can listen to our conversation On-Demand starting at 05:23

How did Biagio's come to be?

Biagio Iuliano (owner of both Biagio’s Italian Gourmet Bakery and Deli and of Trattoria Biagio) was born in Salerno, Italy, close to the Amalfi Coast, where he grew up and trained as a chef. He is also a master baker specializing in the art of bread making, so he prepares amazing bread daily on-premise, which patrons can enjoy in his restaurant or at home.

Biagio came to the United States in 1996. He worked several positions such as pastry chef, sous chef, line cook and front-end manager before he was able to save enough money to branch out on his own.

In 2003, he opened his first business, which was a wholesale bread bakery. He baked bread for customers and delivered it to them daily but in 2010 he got an itch for something more. He wanted to open a retail location so he found a small shop in Stirling and launched his bakery and deli.

True to his nature, never quite being fully satisfied, he wanted to do more, and longed to use his skills as a trained chef in a busy restaurant kitchen, so in 2017 he launched a swanky little Manhattan-feel bistro called Trattoria Biagio.

Who makes the bread and what makes it so good?

So our bread is made with organic flour and the starter yeast we have is original starter yeast from 2003 called mother yeast. The oven is brick and Biagio is an artisan who is careful not to overwork the doughs when he forms each loaf by hand. Mother yeast is important because it is unique to our bread since it means that a certain portion of the dough is always reserved and preserved to make the following batch of dough.

What kind of food do you serve at Biagio's Bakery and Deli?

He offers fresh bread, sandwiches, stromboli's, grandma pizza and other delicious things daily, as well as making cakes, cookies and pastries.  He also caters small and large events through the bakery and deli business.

What is your most popular sandwich?

Our most popular sandwich is The Godfather, which has Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Genoa Salami, Lettuce, Tomato, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

What kind of food do you serve at Trattoria Biagio?

Located right next door to his bakery and deli, Biagio serves up Italian favorites like Fettuccine Carbonara, Chicken Contadina, Short Ribs over Pappardelle Pasta as well as seasonal specialties like watermelon gazpacho soup or Paccheri Seafood Fra Diavolo.

To check out Biagio's, Click Here!

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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