St. Anthony’s Bakery

Known in the Exeter community as a cozy hangout and yummy stop for breakfast, lunch or just a snack, St. Anthony’s Bakery has provided a welcoming environment for students and faculty for thirty-seven years. The bakery, located on Water Street, operates from 7 AM to 3 PM on weekdays, 7 AM to 12 PM on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.“The bakery opened up in 1978 as a bakery, under Cecilia Semillian, who is Jim Semillian’s wife, who taught at the Academy,” said Anthony Antosiewicz, the current owner of the bakery. The bakery changed hands again until Antosiewicz purchased it in 2009 and renamed it St. Anthony’s.“I actually worked for [the bakery] for about ten years before I bought it,” Antosiewicz said. “I have help from Amber and the other girls, but for the most part I bake everything.”Many Exonians find St. Anthony’s to be an excellent place to relax during free periods or get breakfast during the break after their first two classes. The bakery is conveniently close to the Academy and just a walk away for Exonians.Lower Serena Cho especially likes the proximity of the bakery to the Academy campus. Despite this, Cho does not always get to go to the bakery when she wants because of conflicts between the Academy schedule and the bakery’s open hours.“I like how they open super early because sometimes I like to go there for breakfast, but I also wish they closed a little later. Because all our classes finish at 6 and it's really hard to go between classes, I usually don't get to go there during the day,” Cho said.For Antosiewicz, quality comes first. Owning a popular and quite successful bakery, Antosiewicz has thought about expanding his business a few times, but worries that such an expansion would decrease the quality of his products and the experience he provides to his customers. Running one location is already a lot of work, so he would have to hire somebody who he could trust in running the second location at an equally high quality level. Despite these difficulties, Antosiewicz hasn’t completely discarded this possibility, explaining that he would expand if the right opportunity came up and he could ensure that quality would still remain high at both locations.Many Exonians have expressed their love for the high quality of the bakery’s goods and the variety of food it provides. Lower Ivy Hong, who has just recently started going to the bakery, said, “I really enjoy the variety at St. Anthony’s. I can get anything from a salad to a whoopie pie. I love to go there with my friends on the weekend to do homework because it is usually really peaceful and quiet. It’s pretty underrated.”Lower Michelle Lee described that the tasty food and consistently good service encourages her to go back to the bakery. “The sausage and egg bagels are awesome, and the staff is always friendly and welcoming. It's always been clean, albeit small.”Many Exonians appreciate the small size of the bakery because it adds to its charming nature. Antosiewicz agreed. “I’ve also thought about getting a bigger location, but I really like this little spot. It’s kind of like my home. I spend so much time working here now and I own this place. I think I would try to keep this spot as long as I can. Eventually some day the building will fall down, but I hope by that time I’m ready to retire.”One of Antosiewicz’s favorite parts about running a bakery is interacting with his customers and brightening their day with a light-hearted conversation or a warm treat. Antosiewicz said, “It’s easy to interact with friendly people who come in and smile and are happy to see you, but I also enjoy the grumpy people who come in because it’s a challenge. If nothing else, can I get this guy to smile before he leaves here. Sometimes I’m successful and sometimes I’m not but it’s a change.”Antosiewicz’s friendly personality and the general service at St. Anthony’s Bakery are widely appreciated by students and faculty of the Academy. English Department teacher, Ms. Christine Knapp, said “I like the coffee at the bakery. I used to go more often, but I am trying to drink less coffee. The owner is a great guy.”St. Anthony’s bakery has been incorporated into many Exonian’s academy lives. The bakery’s goods have become a highlight many adviser group meetings for many students. Some adviser groups meet at the bakery itself for some tasty snacks.Lower Hannah Piette thoroughly enjoys her adviser meetings at the bakery. Piette described, “I meet there with my advisory a lot and it's a good place to catch up with my adviser over a cup of tea or a cinnamon roll. The atmosphere is very relaxed and cozy and the people who work there are friendly.”Other advisers prefer to go to St. Anthony’s Bakery beforehand and bring the pastries to their classrooms and meet there instead. Prep Bridgette Han’s adviser group is among these. Han, after tasting the bakery’s goods, has been enticed to visit the bakery herself in the future. “My adviser brings a box of St. Anthony’s to our advisee meetings. I had a chocolate croissant and it was super good! I really felt welcomed,” Han said. “It was a nice addition to our meeting. We would munch on our treats while we talked about our days. I want to try to go to bakery myself sometime!”