Mancini’s Bakery is keeping with tradition and upping their bread game with the latest holiday creation: “Snoopy and the Bread Baron” bread sculpture.
Nick Mancini Hartner’ s most intricate work yet weighs in at approximately 250 lbs. and measures around 8 feet wide by 4 feet high. The work of art pays homage to the beloved characters of Peanuts—Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the beloved Christmas special.
The idea for this year’s bread art began as a series of signs that led to an unexpected theme. Mancini’s Bakery owner, Nick Hartner Mancini, passed the Snoopy Doghouse off Stanwix Street during a detour, and a week later, a neighbor at Pittsburgh’s Light Up Night was wearing a Red Baron Snoopy sweater. To solidify the concept, someone suggested a ‘Snoopy and the Bread Baron’ sculpture on Mancini’s social media page.
“I’ve always loved A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s the movie I watched as a child, and this year, I shared it with my daughter,” said Hartner. “When something as timeless as that continues to resonate across generations, it’s clear that it’s something truly special, something everyone can connect with.
The labor of love took a total of three hours to form, and once shaped, the sculpture spent 1 hour and 40 minutes baking in the bakery’s large deck oven in McKees Rocks. Once it cooled and dried, the real work started.
“Painting it took longer than making and baking it,” said Hartner. “It’s been a challenge every year to add complexity to the bread art, so that it’s a fresh experience for everyone to enjoy. This year, I think we’ve really captured something unique, fun, and heartwarming.”
The “Snoopy and the Bread Baron” sculpture is part of the bakery’s ongoing tradition and will be on display at the McKees Rocks location now through the holiday season. It will add to the ambience of the Christmas Eve rooftop performance that includes Billy Mancini and Pittsburgh’s own Ashley Marina performing holiday tunes from 9 a.m. to noon on Christmas Eve.
John is a Partner at YaJagoff Media, LLC.
