The Sub-“Bread That Made Atlantic City Famous”

Pictured above are The Fab Four and the Beatles enjoying the famous Atlantic City Sub bread in 1963…made by the Formica Brothers Bakery.

Without taking away from the amazing sandwich makers in Atlantic City, New Jersey…it really is all about the bread.

George E. Norcross III rescued the Formica Brothers Bakery in January 2022 with a cash injection of over $5 million

Norcross was literally born into the baking business.

We confirmed to Norcross in January 2022 that this was done in honor, memory and recognition of Norcross’ paternal grandfather, August Freitag, who founded the Freitag Bakery in Camden in 1890.

Before our breaking news in 2022, few people knew that the bakery business has a long tradition within the Norcross family for over 100 years.

Formica’s was renamed Formica Friday Bakery.

Commenting on the decision to make this major investment, Norcross said:

To our loyal customers: For over 100 years, Formica Freitag Bakery has enjoyed an unparalleled reputation for its high-quality fresh breads and rolls. Our unique recipe, combined with our strong commitment to our customers, has resulted in a legacy that has grown and thrived since Francisco Formica made Formica Freitag the legendary company it is today, Norcross said.

Now the bakery has reached new heights after spending more than two years perfecting a version of its famous Atlantic City bread that can be frozen and thawed…where it regains its high, fresh, fresh-baked quality.

Norcross confirmed yesterday during our live on-air interview that Formica Friday Atlantic City bread can be frozen for up to 6 months and still taste as good as the day it was baked.

We met with Frank Formica yesterday, who gave us incredible details about this product:

It’s all about bread and relationships. Since Biblical times, the breaking of bread has been an integral part of human history. Formica’s Bakery has a small part in that history with 105 years of continuous operation. Another iconic Camden, NJ bakery, Freitag Bakery, made its own piece of history from 1890 well into the 20th century. The two families combined their two-century-old heritage in 2022 to form Formica-Freitag Bakery. Formica’s and George Norcross’ Freitag Bakery Family formed with a vision to deliver “the bread that made Atlantic City famous” nationwide. Patrick (Mangraviti) McKenna, partner and owner of Taste of Italy, LLC, and Frank D. Formica have perfected a fully baked, frozen Atlantic City Sub Bread. For two years, they experimented with Francesco Formica’s historic recipe, producing and perfecting a 10-inch Atlantic City Sub Bread that is fully baked and frozen, Formica said.

Here’s how they do it and some testimonials:

The recipe is infused with only “clean label” ingredients that are completely natural and allergen-free, giving the product a 6-month shelf life when frozen and 2 days usability after thawing. And of course, the water used in all recipes comes exclusively from the nationally known Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer. The unique advantage over “Brown and Serve” bread is that the end consumer does not need to reheat or rebake the product. During the testing phase, samples were sent nationwide to individuals and businesses already familiar with Atlantic City Bread. The results were unanimous. Recipients could not believe their tongues; all reported it was the real AC bread. The biggest compliment came from legendary local sandwich shop owner Al Sacco, Sack-O Subs: “It was so good I couldn’t tell the taste and quality of the thawed frozen bread from that of the freshly delivered one.”

In March of this year, a state-of-the-art freezer measuring 80 by 80 feet and 20 feet high was built at a cost of over a million dollars to store a supply of frozen products to meet national demand.

Customers who express serious interest in the “bread that made Atlantic City famous” include:

• Wawa
• Jersey Mike’s
• Hard Rock Tampa and Hollywood
• Saker ShopRite’s
• Ravitz ShopRite’s
• Cousin Subs (100 stores)

This also applies to many local market users.

We can also confirm that Formica-Friday Bakery proudly announced the appointment of Daniel Mulloy as its new Chief Executive Officer on June 4, 2024.

Mulloy brings more than 40 years of leadership experience in the baking industry. He was the former chief operating officer of a large bakery that produced and distributed frozen bread nationwide. He is a native of Cape May and Atlantic County.

Here’s a look at this great Atlantic City bread:

Bon appetit.

SOURCES: George E. Norcross, III & Frank D. Formica.

Now enjoy our two photo galleries below featuring great dishes from the Atlantic City area and another featuring favorite comfort foods sent in by our readers and on-air listeners, foodie family and friends.