“A Sweet Journey”: Utica Bread closes New Hartford location

Shelves lined with loaves of bread. Trays lined with tomato pie. And two smiling faces behind the cash register. For the last six years, this is what customers saw when they walked into Utica Bread’s New Hartford location on 52 ½ Genesee Street. 

But now, things have changed. Utica Bread closed the doors of its New Hartford branch for the last time on February 28, 2026, leaving many loyal customers feeling devastated.

“I remember when I went to Utica Bread as a kid, it felt like they welcomed me in,” Alex Dischiavo, a sophomore, said. “I used to bike down just to get a baguette because I loved them so much and the energy they had within their business […] I loved the baguettes.”

Alex wasn’t the only person who mentioned baguettes. 

“People love bread! Baguettes, sourdough…” said Annie, one of Utica Bread’s employees. “We had a multitude of cultures who came in…bread is universal.” 

Barb, another employee, said that the most popular foods included kalamata olive sourdough and pepper and onion focaccia. 

Lauren Schilling, a junior, said that her favorite menu item was the spinach and feta croissants, which she described as “literally heaven.”

Another thing that made Utica Bread noteworthy was its location.

Alex believes the New Hartford branch was an important part of the community. 

“I think a lot of people who loved supporting local businesses enjoyed supporting our location, and it was also next to Calabria so it was easy to stop by after getting coffee,” he said. 

Lauren agreed saying, “It was very convenient to get to during lunch; it will be harder to get to the new location, but I will absolutely try to go there when I can.”

And although the food was good and the location was special, they weren’t the only things that made Utica Bread’s New Hartford location special. 

“I’m going to miss you,” was Lauren’s message to the employees. “Thank you for being kind and friendly faces in our community […] you take an extra step to make everyone feel welcome. I’m going to miss you.”

“A lot of the reason I supported the business is because of [Annie and Barb’s] attitude towards their work,” said Alex. 

These sentiments were echoed by the employees. Both Annie and Barb said their favorite part about working at Utica Bread was the customers.

“The people are so sweet, they became like an extended family to us,” said Annie. “It felt nice to give […] we really hoped to have made a difference…that’s an honor. They were great customers, they made it fun, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. We’re gonna miss them all, it was a pleasure serving them.”