Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Alessi Bakery

Less than a month before its 100th anniversary, Tampa’s Alessi Bakery — incorporated as Phil’s Cake Box Bakeries — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The iconic bakery, known for its guava pastries, cannolis, Cuban bread and prepared foods, will remain open, says owner Phil Alessi. The fourth-generation business, which employs 150, ran into problems after it purchased a 100,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant in 2007, just as the recession started to impact sales. The company had revenue of $11.9 million last year.