How a boy with a “bad heart” showed Gambino’s soul

Gambino’s Bakery cares about its community. Our neighbors matter, and they are part of what has made our shops so special for 75 years. Bryan Thomas, the boy with the “bad heart” is one amazing and memorable example.

As we look back through the historical archives at Gambino’s 75 years serving Louisiana, it is immediately obvious that the word “serving” isn’t only in reference to the baked goods our customers have lined up to enjoy for decades. 

We have also made it a point to serve our community — especially those in need.

“That’s something we’ve always prioritized and taken pride in,” said Sam Scelfo, who was once the CEO of Gambino’s Bakery. Scelfo’s family still owns the bakery, and he continues to work there most days. 

“People who live in the same communities as our bakeries — those are our neighbors,” he said, “and we care about helping our neighbors however we can.”

Searching through old newspaper articles, we’ve enjoyed finding examples highlighting this spirit of community involvement.

Over the years — to name just a few examples — Gambino’s has provided refreshments for children with birth defects at a fundraiser for the March of Dimes, donated a cake for a benefit supporting local special education students, given sweets to at-risk kids on Christmas, sponsored an event to help repair the Cabildo, and provided space to local Italian-Americans so they could create their iconic St. Joseph’s Day altars. In 1973, we were honored by the governor for giving handicapped people a chance to show their skills and gain employment.

And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. 

We’ll get to some of those in future blog posts, but one we wanted to focus on today is the story of Bryan Thomas, a seven-year-old boy with “a bad heart” who, alongside his mother, played a big role at our Baton Rouge bakery in the 1980s.

Boy with the “bad heart”

An August 6, 1986 article in Baton Rouge’s paper, The Advocate, featured Bryan and his mother, Therese Bedwell:

“Bryan Thomas, 7, looks out over a pan of petit fours at Joe Gambino’s bakery. The youngster can barely reach the counter-height work tables in the bakery where he works a few hours each week.

“’I make pie tops,’ says Bryan, ‘and help with the jelly cookies. You take a ball of dough, flatten it out and put jelly in the middle. Then someone takes a big pan of them and shoves it into the oven.’”

His mother, Therese, was a manager of Gambino’s Baton Rouge bakery at the time. She needed to keep Bryan close because, as the article, titled, “Bad heart lands boy in bakery,” explained, Bryan was missing a valve in his heart. As a result of the congenital condition, he couldn’t play as rigorously as boys his age usually do.

At the time of the article, Bryan had already had two operations, and was scheduled for another open heart surgery the following year. The valves in his heart were closing up, but the doctors responsible for the boy’s care needed time to research and learn about his rare condition.

Cookie monster

The compromised valves in his heart were first re-opened through heart catheterization when Bryan was just a few days old. Bryan weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, but found himself in the neonatal ward, next to mostly 2-pound premature infants. 

Due to the noticeable size difference, nurses affectionately called Bryan, the “Cookie Monster.” It was a fitting name for a child who would eventually spend so many days at our bakery!

But those first days of life were anything but sweet for Therese’s little “Cookie Monster.” And because he was always hooked up to life support machinery, it was difficult for mother and son to bond.

“He was strapped down and connected to machines,” she said. “The medical staff had to use a suction tube like a straw to clear our congestion.”

“He would look at me and big tears would roll out of those big brown eyes,” Therese recalled. “But at 4 months he looked at me and he knew who I was.”

A big help

After his second surgery, Bryan’s condition improved. His parents ensured he had a fulfilling home life, playing with his friends and focusing on the things he could do rather than what he couldn’t.

But Therese wanted to keep her song close when he wasn’t at school. And Bryan was a big help during his time at the bakery. When someone was on the phone taking an order, for example, they would ask Bryan to make sure the needed items were in stock. 

He was also great for public relations. When children accompanied their parents into the shop, Bryan would welcome them with balloons and cookies.

“I show them around,” the boy added in the article.

Bryan was rewarded for his work. His mother paid him $5 per week — plus baked goods, of course. Not a bad allowance for the 1980s!

Into adulthood

Unfortunately, Bryan’s condition made it impossible to know what his future had in store. But, against the odds, the cute doughboy, running around Gambino’s in his little white apron, survived into adulthood.

He lived to be 22 years old, passing away in Austin in 2001. Fittingly, he and his mother asked that memorials be made to the American Heart Association. 

In our 75 years, one consistency Gambino’s has enjoyed is an incredible team of bakery staff, making a massive difference for our customers and the cakes and pastries they have grown to love. We are grateful Bryan Thomas was a part of that history, and proud we were a small piece of his story.