After serving Bay View for 20 years, Rosalba and Calogero Canfora wept when they closed their bakery for the final time in August last year. “It was the most difficult thing I had to do,” Calogero said. “It was very, very difficult to give it up. I cried and she did too.” Rosalba nodded solemnly. Although they agreed it was time to retire, after operating their business for 37 years and serving patrons they loved deeply, walking away from it broke their hearts.

The story of Rosalba Madelio (roze AHL bah) and Calogero Canfora (cah-LO-ger-o) is one of immigrants who by dint of hard work, shrewd decisions, and serendipity made good embracing the American dream. Theirs is also a love story that began 46 years ago, one that has not been diminished by time or the sacrifices exacted of them as owners of a family business. The story began in the little seaside town of Trappeto, about 50 miles southwest of Palermo, Sicily.