Hockey Dad's Bread Rising in Popularity

You can see the pride on his face every time his son steps out onto the ice. Local bakery owner, Peter Christou, is now savoring his role as a hockey dad, watching his Pee Wee son develop his tactical defense skills for a Skaneateles Youth hockey team. Growing up in Central New York, hockey was a big part of Peter's life. He was a dominant blue liner for his Solvay high school hockey team and his brothers played for Christian Brothers Academy. So, for those who
know the brothers' passion for hockey, it's no surprise to see Peter
and his brothers at the local rinks, supporting their puck-chasing kids and this sport.


PLAYING A ROLE IN HOCKEY AND FITNESS
You'll see their support at every Crunch game. The family owned business, New York Bakery in Lakeland, is a main sponsor for the Syracuse Crunch hockey team. Just look up at the scoreboard during a game and you can't miss the sign touting their newest whole wheat creation, the official bread for the team (which is scoring big beyond our Central New York community, including soldiers overseas). The idea for their P28 High protein bread, got "baking" back when the brothers were overweight and out of shape. They knew winning their battle of the bulge would mean a major fitness makeover, but the thought of cutting bread out of their diets? Tough concept for the three brothers to swallow. After all, bread was literally their bread and butter! Working with a nutritionist and personal trainer they developed the hearty P28 bread, a healthful option that's loaded with protein. Call it a wonder bread, because combined with their new fitness attitude, Peter says it worked wonders for the now buff bakers.


TEENS CHOICE AWARD
It's not just a bread that's popular among adults striving to stay in shape. My 15- year old is trying to "bulk up" for high school hockey and a lot of his friends with the same goal in mind, have made P-28 their bread of choice. He's health-conscious, but far from an adventurous eater. He likes everything plain and it's always been white bread only. I've even tried to sneak him sandwiches made with those wheat breads that look like white. Nope. Somehow he can always tell and I'll always find the bread left behind on the plate. Given his aversion to anything but white bread, I was more than a little surprised when he asked for this bread with a chewy texture and chalk full of whole wheat. I thought, no way is he ever going to finish a loaf. It'll be another one of those products you buy and try and that would be the end of it. Sure the hockey connection was a plus, but as we all know how finicky teens can be with food. They're not going to stick with anything they don't like. To my surprise again, he's become a regular P28 bread eater and will now choose toasted bread slathered with peanut butter over a bag of chips to satisfy his ravenous after school snack attacks. This hockey mom says hooray for the nutritional assist! He's certainly not alone, with fitness celebrities now climbing on board the P 28 bread train. If you would like to learn more about Peter and his brother's P28 Bread go here. They even have a Facebook fan page, recipe ideas to try and Peter says they're getting ready to roll out their new bagel. Congrats to the Christou family, a local hockey family with really good taste!