METAIRIE, La. — Gambino's Bakery has been a New Orleans tradition since 1949.
President, Vincent Scelfo, estimates the iconic neon sign has been around almost as long, about 50 years.
“Veterans used to be a gravel road with a lot of small businesses and neon signs when it was being built up," Scelfo said.
Scelfo said they're proud to be one of the local businesses that remains on the popular stretch of Jefferson Parish. The neon buzzed until recent years.
“When Hurricane Ida hit, it broke it to the point where it was irreparable," Scelfo said, “We’ve been waiting, and it was just finally time to pull the trigger, and it’s our 75th anniversary next year, and we thought what a perfect time to have our sign back.”
With the help of another local business, A-1 Signs, it was brought back to life in 2-3 months.
“It’s multiple colors now and the candles are able to flicker due to a new flasher we installed," A-1 Director of Operations, Lauren Blumstein said, “It looks so great. It lights up Veterans.”
Blumstein said the sign was given all new neon, electrical and a fresh paint job.
“Very tedious. Especially blowing the neon glass," Blumstein said.
Scelfo said locals were upset at first when they removed it, but they've noticed the difference now that it's back.
“It was really heartwarming to see all the reactions of the people who grew up here, their parents took them here, their grandparents, and really reminds you of the connection we have with the community," Scelfo said.
Now when you come to pick up a dessert, the sign will be there to light the way.
“We still stick to our traditions of making everything from scratch," Scelfo said, "That’s our goal is to still be a tradition for the next generations."