Mazzola Bakery Caved in Stone

Hundreds of people patronize Mazzola's Bakery on Union Street and Henry in Carroll Gardens, but no one seems to notice that near the top of the building there is an insignia that read "NM." We have, and for some time now it has driven us nuts.

We figured it probably stood for something-"Mazzola," but could not confirm this. The times we've asked, the sullen counter help could not have been less interested in the subject, and one manager flatly denied that it stood for "Mazzola." We asked again this week and again received blank looks, as well as statements that the owner was not about.

Taking a chance, we rounded the corner of the shop and walked to the door that led to the bakery's kitchen. There a man who looked like he might be an owner was standing, taking the air. Indeed, it was the owner (lying counter jerks!), and he certified that the "NM" stood for "Nick Mazzola," the bakery's founder. According to this man, the Mazzolas built the building. So there: one local mystery solved.