Antique Bar & Bakery is a restaurant in a century-old Hoboken institution boasting a 30-ton coal oven built of porcelain brick.
The 400sqft hearth produced the famous “Hoboken Sticks” for generations; bread so prized Sinatra would have suitcases of the stuff sent straight from the Sixth Borough. Filmmaker Joseph Castelo along with Bob Castelo, Christine Commesso, and nightlife impresario Rocco Ancarola preserved the Hoboken heirloom to keep the fire burning, saving the bakery and adding a flare of fun with a decor designed around their lasting impressions of the super seventies.
Fornasetti credenzas, Capodimonte centerpieces, lucite candle holders, culver glassware, wood paneling, and seventies swag lights brighten up rows of books and shots of icons that moved us through the mid-century marching in the name of equality and art. The menu is even written as a film script, cueing guests to flashback to baked flavors that evoke memories made in the heart of the house. For decades people brought Antique Bakery bread to their tables, now Antique Bar & Bakery is bringing the tables to the bread.
Joseph Castelo: Founding partner, filmmaker/restauranteur Joseph Castelo has written, directed, and produced successful films that have won and played film festivals around the world. These films include The Preppie Connection, American Saint, the Indie Spirit Award-nominated The War Within, and Death Metal Angola, among others. With a strong sense of community and loyalty to the City of Hoboken, Joe and his wife and writing partner, Ashley, are raising their two daughters gratefully and in appreciation of the people and culture of The Mile Square City. Their hope is to continue creating films together while also supporting good times and good vibes at Antique Bar & Bakery.
Bob Castelo and Christine Commesso: Team partners and Ambassadors of Fun, Bob Castelo and Christine Commesso bring decades of venture experience, business acumen, and entrepreneurial know-how to the ABB family. Bob Castelo is the CEO of Marine Transport, Inc., an avid sports fisherman, boat enthusiast, and totally nautical. Christine Commesso is a dedicated Mom, workout guru, a home cook with a flair for flavor, and a former professional ballet dancer. They both bring a passion and a bon vivant spirit that helps us keep the fire burning!
Rocco Ancarola: Team partner and legendary nightlife impresario Rocco Ancarola is the creator of the legendary and storied Soho restaurant “Boom”. "Roccolino" has decades of hospitality experience in cities like Madrid, Miami, Mexico City, The Hamptons, Johannesburg, and Ibiza, amongst others. His recently completed memoirs are a jet-set, three-ringed circus with Rocco as the ringmaster. Also an actor, Rocco can be seen in everything from David Finch’s Madonna video “Oh Father” to a featured love interest in the "Real Housewives of New York". His smile lights up a room and his heart fills it. There’s no one else in the world like Rocco, and he knows it!