In the early 1920's Nicolo moved his family back to Italy where they operated a small bakery two blocks from the Vatican. The family returned to Tampa in 1925 to reopen the family bakery on Howard Avenue with a full line of baked goods. Through hard work and an insistence on quality, the bakery and the family prospered. His European bakery knowledge was richly mixed with the Latin heritage of the west Tampa location of the bakery, which resulted in Italian, Latin, and American specialty items which set the standard of quality for baked goods in Tampa. Nicolo's sons and daughters grew up in the bakery, each adding his talent and support to the family business whose motto is "Where Quality Rules." John Alessi, Nicolo's firstborn son, married Phoebe Castellano in 1938. John Alessi, the second generation of Alessi bakers, continued in the proud family tradition of baking, even garnering awards on a state level for his skills at cake decorating. The third generation of Alessi's arrived on the scene with the birth of Josie, Rosie, Nick, Phil, and Francis (affectionately known as Gwen).

John Alessi never stopped striving for excellence. When his son, Phil, a frequent observer of his cake decorating expertise, would ask why he would want to change something so beautiful, he would reply, "I want to make it better. When I'm done, I want our customers to see the quality as well as taste the quality." That example of dedication to excellence has guided three generations of Alessi's. Today, the Alessi family continues that tradition at Alessi Bakery on Cypress Street in Tampa, which was opened in the early 1960's.