Tiny Italian bakery on East Ave. that became viral sensation to reopen in new spot

The Italian bakery Forno Tony, which was a viral sensation for just a few weeks last fall, has finally found a new home.

The bakery known especially for its authentic Roman pizzas will open at 1344 University Ave. ― the same building that houses the new Black Button Distilling tasting room.

Brothers Billy and Ryan Gushue opened Forno Tony at the corner of East Avenue and Winton Road on Oct. 15, 2022. It offered two styles of Roman pizzas that Billy Gushue learned to bake while living in Rome, as well as family recipes like pizzette and Melfi cookies (named for the family's ancestral home in Italy). It operated only on Saturdays because both brothers had day jobs.

Word spread by word of mouth and social media. Each week the lines grew longer. On Nov. 19, after a story ran in the Democrat and Chronicle, the line snaked through the parking lot, and the bakery sold out by early afternoon. When other tenants in the small plaza complained about the line interfering with their businesses, the Gushues were forced to close their retail operation.

Since then, they have persevered by baking for events like weddings, baby showers, bridal showers and conferences.

Forno Tony also recently hosted a group of hungry Buffalo Bills players for an informal pizza party. "We kind of hung out," Billy Gushue said. "They loved it."

The bakery has also started working with restaurants on a wholesale basis, a facet of the business the brothers hope to expand. As an example, Tony D's restaurant is using its pane al cioccolato, Italian bread swirled with chocolate, in a French toast dish on its brunch menu.

"We're very selective on who we want to work with," Billy Gushue said. "We've been kind of picking and choosing."

The new bakery will have the same kind of homey, authentic feel as the original, complete with soccer jerseys and family pictures on the wall. There will likely be a few small tables and a coffee bar where people can stop to enjoy an espresso and a maritozzo (a heavenly, light bun, sliced open and filled with a not-too-sweet cream.)

Forno Tony is hoping to open by November. While hours haven't been finalized, the plan is to be open for 3 to 4 days a week. "We're hoping offering more days makes it a little less frenetic, more manageable," Billy Gushue said.

But to be on the safe side, they asked the landlord if there would be trouble if there were lines. The brothers were assured there wouldn't be.

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Tracy Schuhmacher hails from Chicago; her favorite pizza style is the city's lesser known tavern-style pizza. Send your pizza takes to Tracy at TracyS@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Italian bakery Forno Tony moving to University Ave. in Rochester NY