Friday, October 2, 2026
When James “Jimmy” Finch started working at Country Boy Bakery in 1984, the entirety of his baking experience was a pilot program at BOCES. Now, at age 58 and with over four decades of much more practical experience, he is retiring.
Starting at 18, Finch learned from Country Boy veterans like Mark Albert, Ralph Giunta and Toney Steinway. He described Albert as a mentor, and said that Steinway helped him learn how to work in the back of a bakery.
“They took the time with me,” Finch said. “They knew it was something that I wasn’t just playing around with.”
In 1995, Finch purchased the bakery, on East Park Avenue, from Albert, at a time when the business was growing. Many Jewish families were moving to Long Beach, Finch explained, and while Country Boy already had some Jewish customers, they were looking to attract more with a wider range of kosher options.
“It was an opportunity to expand our clientele,” Finch said.
He regularly reminded his staff that they all shared a common goal to make the workday enjoyable, just like their products. During his 30 years of ownership, Finch said, his greatest challenge was learning to understand the variety of personalities and cultural backgrounds of his employees. He most enjoyed when they worked hard, were accountable and “didn’t tolerate nonsense,” he added.
One of the things that kept Finch going was his faith. Throughout his years at Country Boy, he said, he felt he was “called to be there.”
On Sept. 11, 2001, he could see the billowing clouds of smoke drifting east from Lower Manhattan through the bakery’s front doors. And when Hurricane Sandy forced him to close for a month, his spirit didn’t waver.
“My God, Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, lifted me up and carried me through it,” he said.
Finch and his wife, Esmerelda, also own the Coffee Nut Café, also on East Park. While that started as a way to make his wife happy, Finch said that the experience of co-owning a business furthered his knowledge of both the Long Beach business community and the needs of a diverse clientele.
Even though Finch is stepping back, the cannolis, red velvet cake and rye bread will still be in plentiful supply, as he entrusts the operation to 23-year-old Francesca Garguilo and her family. Garguilo, the new chef, brings a range of experience. She studied French and Italian cuisine in culinary school at Monroe College in New Rochelle from 2022 to 2024.
During her time there, she took a course on the fundamentals of baking, and said it sparked her desire to make the switch. She worked at Blacksmith Breads, in Long Beach, while in school, helped open Long Beach Bistro in 2024, and most recently worked at Fiorello Dolce, in Huntington.
Owning her own shop has always been Garguilo’s dream. When her father, Frank, got a call from the Country Boy storefront’s owner, Benito Ferrante, in December, Francesca said she “knew this was really happening.”
Frank Garguilo said that Ferrante acted as a matchmaker, and couldn’t have facilitated it any better. “He knew Francesca’s background,” Frank said. “He had her on his radar, that she was looking for something.”
Frank and Jackie Garguilo, Francesca’s stepmother, also knew Ferrante as the landlord of Long Beach Yoga, a business they own. The two will help Francesca oversee operations at Country Boy.
Finch said the transition had been smooth thus far, and that the Garguilos are committed to maintaining the traditions that have helped Country Boy thrive for 75 years. “I was looking for people who would carry on the legacy,” he said.
As Francesca takes over, Finch said, he’s looking forward to seeing her grow, and hopes her family will bring in new and exciting products. He and the Garguilos have already begun discussing adding more dairy options to the menu.
“I wanted to go to a level that I didn’t go,” Finch said. “I want to see each one be maxed out to their potential, because that’s what Country Boy deserves.”
In his retirement, Finch wants to learn Spanish, and aims to take some college classes. He also looks forward to swimming when it gets warmer, and taking kickboxing and yoga classes.
And as far as Country Boy’s future is concerned, he said, “It was here before me, and it’ll be here after me.”
