Cooking up a passion for business: Labor of love

Owning Livonia Bakery & Café has been a labor of love for Franco Petrucci, ’91.

“It is a seven-day-a-week business,” Petrucci said. “Originally, we started as a bakery and deli store. We have grown our services to include catering, gift baskets and even kids’ birthday parties.”

Petrucci and his brother opened Livonia Bakery and Café nearly 27 years ago.

“My first job in high school was working in a bakery and deli shop,” Petrucci said. “I know what it takes to be successful in this industry. The best advice I have for a business owner is to never give up.”

Today, Petrucci is the sole owner of the business.

Growing up in a family of immigrants, his parents had limited education. But they had wells of work ethic.

“My parents immigrated from Italy and my dad started a construction business,” Petrucci said. “I took my dad’s work ethic and my experience working in a store and coupled it with my hands-on business education at Detroit College of Business to start my own business.”

Visit Livonia Bakery and Café

33615 W. Seven Mile Rd.
Livonia, MI 48152

Read each story in this series:

• A restaurant love story featuring Alex Wilkening, ’12
• A family of entrepreneurs featuring Michael Havemeier, ’10
• Creative freedom featuring Dino Duratovic, ’15
• From cherry farmers to winemakers featuring McKenzie Gallagher, MBA, ’12
• The ingredients for success featuring Justin Buiter, ’05
• Labor of love featuring Franco Petrucci, ’91
• Recipe for success featuring Tina Pietrangelo, ’07
• Elevating the community featuring Jason Collett, MBA ’01