International Bakery reopens, but this isn't your nonna's store anymore
The well-known Italian London bakery that closed in February has reopened under new ownership, albeit with the same name, offering Turkish and Middle Eastern fare but the same bread and buns for which it was famous.
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You know the new International Bakery on Hamilton Road is different than its predecessor from a sign in front that advertises shawarma.
This isn’t your nonna’s deli, anymore.
The well-known London Italian bakery that closed in February has reopened under new ownership, albeit with the same name, offering Turkish and Middle Eastern fare but the same bread and buns for which it was famous, manager Tugce Pliuta said.
“It is still International Bakery. We have the breads, the bakery, that is the same, but we are adding to it,” she said.
Don’t expect the deli to carry the mortadella, Italian salami, capocollo or prosciutto the original had. Only beef and chicken products now, Pliuta said.
“We are Turkish, and Muslim. We are sensitive about that.”
There is still asiago and mozzarella.
Its nearby commercial bakery that supplies stores, restaurants and Western University with breads and buns is still baking, Pliuta said.
“The bread is still a big part of our business.”
In February, International Bakery announced it was closing after 67 years as owner Joe Orsini hung up his apron. Orsini’s father Pasquale opened the store on King Street downtown in 1955 and it later moved to Hamilton Road.
“I am happy for them; I hope they succeed,” Orsini said of the new owners.
“They are doing things a little differently. It’s nice to see it go on. It’s better than it just dying. They are putting their own stamp on it.”
Pliuta believes it was a “sweet coincidence” that breathed new life into the bakery. She is Turkish and lived near Istanbul with her Ukrainian husband when his brothers and mother fled Ukraine to join them after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They had trouble adjusting to life in Turkey where they did not know the language. They do speak English and the family was looking for a fresh start. They moved to London more than four months ago.
Soon after arriving, she overheard a man speaking Turkish in a store. That man was International’s new owner, Sevket Cetin, also a Turk. They struck up a friendship and she was hired to manage the business, as she had managed a market in Turkey, she said.
“My husband is Ukrainian and after the war, our lives completely changed, families had to flee. We were in Turkey but his mother and brothers came to us,” she said.
“It was challenging, but we thought we could come here and build something. I feel very lucky,” Pliuta said.
She immigrated to London because “we like calm places, we like green places,” she added.
“I was at a store shopping, heard someone speaking Turkish, my language, so I wanted to say hi. He said he had a new business, ‘Did I want to see it.’ It is a sweet coincidence,” she said.
Cetin has been in Canada about six years and has other businesses in Toronto but was drawn to International, reopening it in September.
“He wanted to open a business in London. This is a beautiful place. He likes to try new things and the bakery is a lovely business and well known here. It has a name and reputation.”
International continues to operate its stand at Covent Garden Market.
“It has been tough but also beautiful. We are really lucky. I can create something beautiful here for my family,” Pliuta said.
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