Carrying Forward a Tampa Tradition: Phil Alessi Jr. on Family and Legacy
Some of Phil Alessi Jr.’s earliest memories are dusted in flour.
Not baking it, necessarily. Playing in it.
As a child, he climbed atop towering stacks of flour bags in the family's bakery, explored behind-the-scenes corners of the business and eagerly followed his grandfather around. Long before he understood what it meant to run a business, like the iconic Alessi Bakery, Alessi was learning what it meant to be part of one.
Today, more than a century after his grandfather opened Tampa’s Alessi Bakery, Phil finds himself serving as both a caretaker of a beloved local institution and a steward of its future.
“It's really a dream come true,” Alessi says of the bakery's new location. Located at 3003 W. Cypress Street, the expansive space covers about 18,000 square feet.
Founded in 1912, Alessi Bakery has become more than a place to buy pastries and Cuban bread. For generations of Tampa families, it has been part of birthdays, First Communions, holidays and everyday traditions. Ask longtime residents about Alessi Bakery, and chances are they'll have a memory attached to it.
For Alessi, those memories are personal.
After his father purchased the bakery's longtime location in the 1970s, the business became a second home. Living just around the corner, he spent weekends and evenings learning the trade from longtime employees and family members.
One of his favorite childhood memories involves making enormous loaves of bread with a baker named Ernie.
“My mom would only let me stay until midnight,” he recalls with a laugh. “Ernie would finish it up for me, and I'd come back the next morning.”
While the equipment, buildings and business have evolved, the core values passed down through generations have remained remarkably consistent: Quality, consistency and customer service, which are intertwined into all they do.
Philip Alessi Sr., whom Phil Jr. describes as a visionary, instilled those values in his children. “Living out our core values on a daily basis is what has kept us going for so many years,” he says.
The philosophy extends beyond customers.
Alessi speaks just as passionately about employees, some of whom have spent decades with the company. Several team members have worked for the family for more than 50 years, helping preserve the culture that has defined the bakery for generations.
As new employees join the team, teaching that culture has become one of the most important responsibilities of leadership.
“The older employees already get it,” Alessi says. “They know the philosophies and the culture.”
Helping newer generations embrace those same values takes time, but Alessi believes maintaining that foundation is critical to the Alessi Bakery's continued success.
Those values also played a role in the decision to move into the bakery's new home.
While the previous location carried decades of memories, the family recognized it was time to invest in a space that could better serve both employees and customers.
The new facility includes amenities designed with employees in mind, including improved workspaces, private restrooms, outdoor gathering areas and an overall more comfortable environment.
“They're here most of the time, even more so than home,” Alessi says. “It’s important to us that our employee family is as comfortable as possible.”
The move wasn't simply about creating a larger bakery. It was about creating a destination.
Alessi envisions the property becoming a true community gathering place. Future plans include outdoor movie nights, family-friendly concerts, seasonal events and community activities designed to bring neighbors together.
“Everything we want to do is family-oriented,” he says.
That focus on family extends well beyond the business itself.
Alessi is now raising the fifth generation of the family connected to the bakery. His three sons, ages 19, 21 and 23, all work in the business. His 12-year-old daughter enjoys helping around the bakery, and even his youngest child, just 6 months old, is already growing up surrounded by the family enterprise.
Watching his children become involved has given him a new appreciation for the lessons he learned growing up.
“My dad always said the biggest thing I could do was to contribute,” Alessi says. “It's hard work and it's fun, but at the end of the day, we all have to contribute.”
It's a lesson many family-business owners understand. Long before children realize it, helping stock shelves, serve customers or simply spend time around hardworking adults begins shaping character, responsibility and work ethic.
Those qualities have helped Alessi Bakery navigate more than a century of challenges, including economic downturns, hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rather than dwelling on obstacles, Alessi says the family has always focused on finding solutions.
“We always work together,” he says. “We prioritize communication.”
Looking forward, Alessi hopes that, 50 years from now, future generations continue building upon and contributing to what previous generations created.
“My dad grew Alessi Bakery to an unbelievable level,” Alessi says. “I'm hoping my kids and their kids can continue adding onto it.”
For Alessi, success isn't necessarily about becoming bigger.
“Alessi Bakery’s success is about continuing to make it better,” he says.
That philosophy may be one reason Alessi Bakery continues resonating with Tampa families more than a century after its founding. While the city around it has transformed dramatically, the bakery's commitment to family, integrity, quality and community remains unchanged.
And for families walking through the doors today, that's exactly what makes it feel like home.
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*Originally published in the July 2026 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.