Why Can’t You Make Atlantic City, NJ Sub Bread Anywhere Else?
Smart people from all over America have tried to recreate the World Famous Atlantic City sub roll.
For more than 100 years, no one has succeeded.
Why can’t you make the Atlantic City sub roll anywhere outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey?
It’s the water!
We have interviewed Frank Formica, General Manager of the Formica Freitag Bakery of Atlantic City, New Jersey many times over the past 30 years.
Formica explains it this way:
Simply put, the Kirkwood-Cohansey water-table aquifer. Located under the Pinelands, Atlantic City's water supply is drawn from this aquifer that covers over 3,000 square miles. The aquifer is made up of the Kirkwood and Cohansey Formations, which are a unique combination of geologic units consisting mostly of sand, with minor lenses of silt, clay, and some gravel. The aquifer is prolific, ultimately yielding up to 4,500 gallons per minute. You will not find better bread in Atlantic City and Formica Freitag has been specializing in it for over 100 years.
If that sounds like an incredibly technical description, that’s because it is. Formica was drafted and served during the Vietnam War; where he studied both water and waste.
Formica learned about the various properties involved and while there are important “proofing” techniques that are a big part of the perfect Atlantic City sub roll … Formica knows well that the biggest “X Factor” is the Atlantic City water.
It all began in 1919 when Francesco Formica opened the bakery with his wife Rosa and brought their legendary hand-crafted loaves of bread to Atlantic City from Italy.
Francesco moved the bakery to its present location at 2310 Arctic Avenue in 1928.
World War II (era (between the years 1939-1945) proved to be a boom time for Formica’s Bakery, as soldiers who were passing through Atlantic City just loved the unique Atlantic City “sub” marine sandwich.
In May 2019 Pat McKenna took over Formica Brother’s Bakery & Cafe but continued making the hand-crafted Italian bread with the exact same 100-year-old recipe that Francesco Formica perfected.
The newest chapter took place in January 2022 when Camden County, New Jersey legend George Norcross, III heavily invested and Formica Freitag Bakery was born.
August Freitag founded Freitag Bakery in Camden, New Jersey in 1890.
George Norcross is a direct descendant of the Freitag family bakers.
The Formica Freitag families have almost 240 years of combined experience in the bakery business.
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