Meet John Ficarra of John’s Bakery

There is something really wonderful about the crowds at John’s Bakery in the morning. It is always packed, yet the line moves quickly, dispensing coffee and breakfast items. Many kids in the neighborhood, including mine, have been raised on John’s egg and cheese on a roll (add bacon for an extra treat). Coffee is still only $1 for a small cup. A neighbor on Yelp laments:

I try, try, try to eat better. I really do. But I can’t seem to break my 3-4 day/week habit of going to John’s for a breakfast sandwich (two eggs, bacon, and cheese on an everything bagel, toasted, with salt, pepper, no ketchup) and a large iced coffee with milk and two sugars. I’ve eaten many, many breakfast sandwiches in my life, but the ones that come out of this place 9 out of 10 times are exactly the right thing, and the friendly staff (buenos dias, Rita!) were some of the first folks to make me feel at home when I moved to Ditmas Park in March.

And if you call ahead in the morning, you can pick up the order when you pass by on your way to the subway, or someone will bring it out to your car – talk about customer service!

John Ficarra

The man who presides over it all is the 44-year-old John Ficarra. These days, John is at the bakery at 4am, and does not leave till late.

John’s Bakery has been in the family for over 50 years now, and has always been called John’s Bakery (I know you were wondering), even before John took over 26 years ago from his dad, Mario Ficarra, who took it over from a cousin. Most of the business takes place at the store, even though they also have wholesale customers and supply local delis along Cortelyou, as well as Kings County and Brookdale hospitals.

Top sellers? Croissants, cinnamon buns, rainbow cookies, scones and – the top, top seller – poundcake. John’s favorite is a warm raisin scone, hot out of the oven around 7am. Many neighbors claim that they have the best bagels on the strip.

New to the neighborhood? John suggests you try a danish. “Who does not like a danish?” he says. “With a good cup of coffee?”

Special orders? They can easily accommodate lunch platters of wraps and paninis for 20, and most large orders only take a couple of hours to fulfill. John’s has always carried sugar-free cookies, turnovers, muffins and pies. Sugar-free cakes are available for special order. More last-minute orders? Cupcakes can be ordered in the morning for an afternoon pickup, and they will also bake birthday cakes to your specifications. Many customers bring in cakes they have baked to be decorated for a special occasion as well.

How does he keep the prices so low? John is always there, supervising and making sure everything is just the way he wants it. It is not your slow pace, pour-over coffee place bakery equivalent – in fact, quite the opposite. The pace is friendly but fast, and turnover large, and John does not plan to change that any time soon.

Why do it? “I like making people happy,” John says, but adds: “The hours are horrible.” He does not see as much of his three kids as he’d like, but when you can make the day of someone like that – with a hot cup of coffee and good food – it makes it worthwhile. The bakery has an incredibly diverse customer base, and a staff that speaks a multitude of languages, including Spanish, Russian, Creole, and, if all else fails, hand gestures. “Whatever it takes to make our customers leave happy,” John says.

How has the street changed? “I’ve seen my customers grow up and come back with their kids,” he says. “It’s amazing to see that, to be part of their lives for so long.” The days when the kids from the middle school would walk home atop the parked cars along Cortelyou and he had to roll down gates and put someone at the door are long gone. He likes the street, and seeing it flourish, and would not change a thing, but he knows there are exceptions. “Don’t kid yourself,” John says. “Crazy stuff happens all the time, early in the morning and late in the night.” And he would know. There is always someone at the bakery, baking.

John’s Bakery
1322 Cortelyou Road (corner of Rugby), 718-287-6799. Hours are 6am-5pm daily. Open on Thanksgiving Day from 5am-4pm.