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Speaker Series Presentation – A Hammonton History: The Ricca Family and Vet’s Sunrise Bakery
The Historical Society of Hammonton (HSH) presents another fun FREE-to-ALL Speaker Series event.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Ricca’s Brick Oven Bistro & Bar, 104 Fairview Ave., Hammonton, NJ
Free and open to the public – no membership or RSVP required!
6 PM – Mingling and refreshments
7 PM – Speaker Series PresentationWe are pleased to announce a second Speaker Series program in January, taking place on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at Ricca’s Brick Oven Bistro & Bar, located at 104 Fairview Avenue, Hammonton. Departing from the Society’s usual format, the evening will open at 6:00 PM with informal mingling and refreshments before the 7:00 PM presentation, creating more time for conversation and connection.
Presented by Michael and Thomas Ricca, the program will explore the rich history of the Ricca family, whose roots in Hammonton date back to the late 1800s, when Cosimo Ricca’s parents and grandparents immigrated from Messina, Sicily. Like many early Italian families, they worked as farmers and bakers, helping shape the agricultural and culinary traditions that remain central to Hammonton’s identity today.
Born in 1931, Cosimo Ricca grew up working alongside his family before enlisting in the United States Army and serving as an Airborne Infantry soldier during the Korean War. After completing his service with honor, he returned home and in 1957 founded Vet’s Sunrise Bakery, naming it in tribute to veterans. The bakery quickly became a well-known and respected local business, reflecting both family heritage and a deep commitment to service.
Over the decades, the Ricca family also played a significant role in Hammonton’s commercial and residential development, with properties acquired and developed from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many of which remain familiar landmarks today. In more recent years, the next generation expanded the family’s culinary legacy through ventures including Ricca’s Brick Oven Bistro & Bar and Cannoli Capeesh, blending tradition with new ideas while continuing to serve the community.
The program is free and open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend. Come connect, learn, and celebrate Hammonton’s history with us!
An Organization for All Ages
The Historical Society of Hammonton is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich, multi-cultural social, economic, and political heritage of our town and its people. Our mission is to increase awareness of Hammonton’s rich history and to establish public access by collecting, conserving, interpreting, and promoting it to the widest possible audience.
Get Involved!
There’s a place for you at HSH. Help at events, join community outreach, support fundraising, or dive into museum collections and oral history. With many active committees, you can get involved as little or as much as you’d like. Send us an email and tell us what interests you!
Located in the historic former Town Hall (built in 1887) in Veterans Memorial Park, the Museum is open on Saturdays from 11 AM–2 PM. Other days by appointment or happenstance (if the OPEN flag is flying, come on in).
For more information, call (609) 270-7652 or email info@historicalsocietyofhammonton.org.
Visit us online at www.historicalsocietyofhammonton.org.
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of Cultural Affairs within the Department of State, through funds administered by the Atlantic County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.