A Taste of Heaven

It's an unmistakable Philly aroma, that of the soft pretzel wafting through the air of the local bakery.

In Chestnut Hill, that bakery is A . And the baker behind the artful, urban practice is Ari' Catanzaro.

It was late morning Wednesday when the bakery manager was discovered cranking out batches of the delectable in the back room.

Catanzaro typically starts baking at 5 a.m.; a reporter caught up with her about six hours after that. Still, here she was, hard at work on the next batch.

The number of pretzels A Taste of Philly puts out on a given day varies. A typical wholesale day can see upward of 1,600 pretzels hitting the streets. (The business delivers to supermarkets, convenience stores, colleges and other businesses from North Philly to Plymouth Meeting).

However, that figure doesn't include retail sales at the storefront, located at 8513 Germantown Avenue. In all, it's hard to say how many pretzels come out of that oven daily.

What is apparent is the success A Taste of Philly sees on a regular basis. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it's one of the less expensive places to get a bite to eat. That's right, in addition to soft pretzels, the business caries hot dogs, sandwiches and soft drinks.

"We're probably the cheapest place to have lunch on the Hill," Catanzaro said.

Catanzaro spoke while rolling "Philly's," or the standard-style soft pretzel that is most commonly sold in the city. In addition to the "Philly," the business also sells "mini's," or miniature soft pretzels; soft pretzel braids; and the occasional special soft pretzel design. The latter can change on a regular basis.

The pretzel-making process is interesting to say the least. It all begins with a bag of flour, a bucket of water and an ounce of yeast.

The dough is thrown into a mixer, which circulates it for 11 minutes. The product is then doused with olive oil, (to prevent sticking), and it is put into a "hopper," or machine that pushes out the dough in a log-like formation, and slices it into pre-designated cuts. The size varies depending upon the style of pretzel being made.

From there, the batch of dough gets placed into the refrigerator where it remains overnight. The next morning, the dough is coated with lye, which allows the pretzels to bake crisply on the outside, but remain soft on the inside. Salt is also added before the pretzels are placed in the oven.

And voila. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Catanzaro said many soft pretzel lovers in Philly might have had a pretzel from A Taste of Philly but never knew it. That's because the pretzels find their way to locales near and far.

The store manager still encourages people to drop by the store. Even if they're not in the mood for soft pretzels, they can get their fill of other treats. This includes chili and soup in the winter, and water ice in the summer.