Helen Bernhard Bakery

Helen Bernhard Bakery was established in 1924, beginning, as many bakeries did in those early days, by baking cakes for neighbors and friends. At the time, the Bernhard family lived in the house next to the present shop. Ben Bernhard’s father was a minister at Grace Lutheran Church and his mother, Helen, created the cake business as a hobby and an addition to the family’s income. Her earliest recipe book, dated September 1923, was written in heavy pencil, its smudges and rewrites showing much trial and error. As business grew, additions were made to the back and side of the old house to accommodate baking and sales demands. Eventually, the family moved one street away and their former home became devoted to the bakery.