One of a shrinking number of San Pedro-born iconic, old-world bakeries shut its doors Friday, Jan. 31.
After a 10-year run, Amalfitano Bakery, 29111 S. Western Ave., in Rancho Palos Verdes — but just across the street from San Pedro proper — closed its doors.
Amalfitano Bakery in Rancho Palos Verdes is closing after a 10 year run. Anthony Amalfitano is retiring. Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, was last call for the bakery’s Italian pastries. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Amalfitano Bakery in Rancho Palos Verdes closed on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, after a 10-year run. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
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Customers flowed through the bakery during the day, wondering where they’d get their next birthday cake or bread, said owner Anthony Amalfitano’s daughter, Mariea Mattera.
The last baking sheets of Italian specialty pastries were finally pulled from the oven on what was a sad-but-busy day. Amalfitano specialties included fried cannoli, fresh-baked banana whipped cream cake, honey balls, rum balls, rice pudding pies, custards, wheat pies and Italian Patagonia breads.
Now 73, the man his daughter called the “best baker in the area” decided it was time to retire.
The son of an Italian fisherman, Amalfitano hung up his apron once before, when he sold his share of the old Ramona Bakery to his partner. He was 53 back then. But after 10 years, he was prodded into making a comeback by his grandchildren — and the new Amalfitano Bakery opened its doors in 2010. Working off of old family recipes, he hoped to train a new generation in the ways of traditional Italian baking.
“It’s in his blood,” Mattera said. “Ever since I was a little girl, there was always something baking or cooking in our kitchen.”
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Marley’s Treats, a Filipino fusion bakery in Hayward, specializes in desserts made with ube, a purple yam. (Photo courtesy of Gemma Ballesteros)
At the new Hayward bakery called Marley’s Treats, the color of dessert is often purple.
As in ube, the purple yam so prevalent and popular in the Philippines.
For owner Gemma Ballesteros, combining the flavors of her heritage with American favorites like cupcakes made sense when she embarked on a baking career after her daughter, Marley, was born. After all, she says, “Every Filipino dessert comes in that flavor.”
Her maternity-leave project grew quickly. “As soon as I started posting pictures on my Facebook, I started getting requests and orders from family and friends,” she says on social media. “I then took the needed steps to get licensed and work out of a commercial kitchen. And business took off.”
She’s been catering, baking custom cakes and operating a food truck, the cleverly named Marley’s Streats, since outgrowing a small space in Oakland a couple of years ago. And now this Saturday, Feb. 1, she will officially open her new brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Hayward. The public is invited to the noon to 5 p.m. block party, which will also celebrate the opening of her next-door neighbor, the Black & Gold Barber Shop.
Ballesteros’ top seller is the Hella Ube, a towering confection that starts with an ube Rice Krispy treat base, then layers of ube ice cream, an ube cupcake and an ube macaron. Naturally, all of those are sold separately too.
Cupcakes come in a rotating series of flavors, among them red velvet, horchata churro, s’mores, banana split, blueberry lemon and buko pandan, the Filipino fave made with young coconut. Macaron flavors also vary daily; the rotation includes lychee, mango, dulce de leche and pistachio cookie butter. Also in the lineup is a dessert version of lumpia made with banana and jackfruit.
Details: Marley’s Treats is located at 838 B St., Hayward. Business hours are evolving; Ballesteros plans to launch with a noon opening Tuesday-Friday and an 11 a.m. opening on weekends. Find updates on the website, www.marleystreats.com, Facebook and Instagram accounts,
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- One might say that Jesus helped build the new Filled Cafe in Tompkinsville. Indeed, the church community is where Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir found inspiration to launch their “Silog House" and Filipino bakery. Their mothers’ traditional recipes form the base of the business.
“We work hard. We’re honoring our mothers because the recipes live on through us," said Alvir. “That’s what we want people to feel – home cooking and baking, no pretense."
For now, in these early days at 400 Victory Blvd., the entrepreneurs sell a single savory item -- silog, a classic Filipino breakfast that is served all day. The dish features two eggs served sunnyside up or over easy with garlicky fried rice and Pampanga Longanisa, a fat, sweet pork sausage.
Alvir explained the word “Silog.” It is a portmanteau of the words “sinangag” -- garlic fried rice -- and “illog” which means “egg.”
“We’re the first Silog house in New York City," she declared. “Other restaurants have Silog. We’re the only ones who do purely Silog. It’s available all day.”
Between a small Christian library and a few framed Bible quotes, Filled serves bubble teas, juice concoctions and traditional Filipino beverages like kalamansi juice (from a Filipino lime that is more sweet than tart) and nectars.
But the real show-stoppers are the traditional desserts made by San Miguel and Alvir -- cassava cake, sweet potato pie, custards and tiny packages of fruit cake known as “Food for the Gods" or panlasang panoy. That is melodic Tagalog, the Filipino language, for a square dessert made from dates, butter, flour and walnuts, a cuisine contribution from Spanish settlers to the Philippines.
Ellen San Miguel, left, and Kats Alvi. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Also in the hand-crafted inventory at Filled are Sansrival, a four-layer wafer cake layered with crushed cashew meringue and rum buttercream.
Desserts from Filled include sweet potato pie, tarts and banana bread. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
It’s crunchy and chewy at the same time, a toothsome confection with a deeply satisfying textural contrast. Alvir reported that Russian customers who have tasted this dessert at Filled liken it to a Kiev or Kievsky cake.
Silvanas – cookie version of the Sansrival only covered with cake crumbs and a creamier version of buttercream Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Similar in flavor profile to the Sansrival, yet with a softer sensation on the palate are Silvanas, delicious, finger-shaped pastries with cake crumbs and, compared to Sansrival, with a milkier version of buttercream. Little white puffs of Brazo de Mercedes patries are built from meringue and egg custard. These come as individual servings as well as a rolled cake.
THE STORY FROM BAYONNE TO STATEN ISLAND
San Miguel and Alvir are Bayonne transplants who now live in Silver Lake. Before the baking business, the pair sang professionally. One day at a store in New Jersey, a clerk recognized San Miguel from prior performances and asked if her group could be hired to sing at a Bayonne church as a gift to its pastor.
Food for the Gods aka panlasang panoy. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
“We normally don’t do that kind of work but my heart said, ‘Yeah, do it!’” recalled San Miguel.
When they heard a fellow band playing during the service, the women said they were stunned.
Food for the gods or panlasang panoy. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
“We didn’t know it was a worship band! All the songs ministered to us. We accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and we kept coming back,” said Alvir. And that also meant coming back to fellowship gatherings after church where the focus turned also to food.
“After the service we had potluck. You had to see the first cake we made! It was crazy." said Alvir.
The pastor’s wife, Melinda Del Mar, encouraged them to keep baking.
“We started getting orders in 2010. We started researching and practicing until it became what it is now,” recalled Alvir.
Tres leches cake. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
“I didn’t even have a mixer back then,” said San Miguel.
Alivir hails from Quezon City and San Miguel from Laguna.
“Laguna cooking is Northern style, marinated foods that are saucy stews,” said San Miguel. “We prepare our table with banana leaves and we use our hands.”
Cassava cake Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
For now the ladies’ days are filled, so to speak, with a steady stream of customers who are liking their pastries and birthday cakes. They ponder closing on Sundays, a busy day at Calvary Assembly of God in Bulls Head with its food pantry and worship throughout the day.
“We’ll open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as an experiment. But it’ s a little tough with our church schedule,” said Alvir.
For now, hours will be Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with extended hours for alternating acoustic nights on a small stage.
Filled is located at 400 Victory Blvd., Tompkinsville; 347-857-6360.
Brazo de Mercedes is a meringue with egg custard. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Brazo de Mercedes cake. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Powder for bubble teas. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Sonya Sokolin behind the bubble tea counter. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Drink menu. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Occasion cakes are house specialties. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
Filipino beverages. Filled Cakes and Confections in Tompkinsville opened in January with Ellen San Miguel and Kats Alvir. Pamela SilvestriPamela Silvestri
A Fairfax County, Virginia, bakery manager was arrested Thursday and has been accused of inappropriately touching a woman who worked there, the police said.
Fairfax County police want to know if anyone has had inappropriate contact with Alberto Figueiredo. (Courtesy Fairfax County police)
The Fairfax County police launched an investigation into Alberto Figueiredo, 73, of Fairfax, last week after the victim told her parents of the alleged assault, the police said in a statement.
The victim worked at Wildflour Bakery. Figueiredo served as the general manager and has worked there for more than 10 years.
Fairfax County police say the bakery routinely hires people with developmental disabilities.
Figueiredo faces a felony charge of object sexual penetration against a developmentally disabled adult. He’s being held without bond.
Authorities ask that anyone who has more information or who may have had inappropriate contact with Figueiredo to call their Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone — 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by text — Type “FCCS” plus tip to 847411, and by web. Download their Mobile tip411 App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers.” Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 if their information leads to an arrest.
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Susan Nanna-Pedder serves up fresh baked goods at her new bakery, Susan's Servings, in Union Springs.
Susan Nanna-Pedder serves up fresh baked goods at her new bakery, Susan's Servings, in Union Springs.
Susan Nanna-Pedder serves up fresh baked goods at her new bakery, Susan's Servings, in Union Springs.
Although Susan's Servings in Union Springs offers cookies, muffins and more, owner Susan Nanna-Pedder said she personally doesn't crave sweets or baked goods much.
Nanna-Pedder, who opened the bakery Jan. 15, said she prefers salty foods. But she's used to whipping up sweets for others. She was raised in an Italian household where people were constantly cooking.
"I grew up in the kitchen," she said.
Due to that cooking experience, Nanna-Pedder always wanted to own a bakery or catering business, she said. Now, she runs her bake shop — which can also cater upon request — in the former location of Karen's Country Confections. In October, Nanna-Pedder entered the building and told owner Karen Luziani that she loved the space and dreamed of running a bakery.
"She said, 'Well, you're in the right place. I'm considering selling,'" Nanna-Pedder said.
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A week later, Nanna-Pedder went back to the space and Luziani asked if she was serious, and it progressed from there. On Luziani's advice, Nanna-Pedder took a three-day small business course at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Without it, she said, she wouldn't have understood the financial and legal components of owning and operating a business.
Although Susan's Servings consumes a lot of Nanna-Pedder's week, she still works as a registered nurse for Lifetime Care, a nonprofit organization that serves home care and hospice patients on Mondays and Tuesdays. Although she had to sacrifice some work hours to focus on the bakery, Nanna-Pedder said Lifetime Care has been supportive, and she loves both jobs.
"I just try to do half and half," she said. "But just figured I'd rather try something and fail than not try it all."
Nanna-Pedder said she normally wakes up at 3 a.m. to prepare food for the bakery. Her specialties include cinnamon rolls and a different kind of scone each day. She also serves breakfast sandwiches on Fridays and makes breakfast pizza on Saturdays. As of Jan. 22, when she spoke with The Citizen, the bakery had sold out every day it was open, she said. With noticeable excitement in her voice, Nanna-Pedder said she has already earned regular customers who come in daily. Her favorite parts of the business, she continued, are meeting new people, seeing those return customers "and satisfying everybody's sweet tooth."
A challenging part of the venture, Nanna-Pedder said, is time management. She said she always tries to plan for the next day and prepare things ahead of time.
Nanna-Pedder said her husband, Jared Pedder, whom she married in September, has been extremely supportive of her dreams. He swings by each morning to see if she needs help making coffee, or with anything else. She said she is still trying to get used to everything at her new business.
"I just take it day by day and do what I can," Nanna-Pedder said. "I'm only one person, so I try not to overwhelm myself."
The lovely aromas of fresh-baking pastries and bread pervaded Westmoreland's business district for decades
For many of us, the day doesn't begin until we visit one of our favorite coffee shops in Westmoreland.
But from the 1940s through the 1980s, the day for many residents began with something else – the aroma of cinnamon and fresh bread in the air, from the daily baking at the Ruth Ashbrook Bakery.
Harold Martinson was the man responsible for bringing those wonderful smells into Westmoreland – when he opened the Ruth Ashbrook Bakery, back in 1934, along Milwaukie Avenue at Henry Street, where Northwest Primary Care and its parking lot sit now, just north of the QFC Market.
Back then, the small bakery was operating adjacent to the "mom and pop" grocery store of William and Bertha Zinck.
The Zinck family arrived in Westmoreland in 1906, when William – anxious to show his entrepreneurial skills – experimented with opening one of the first confectionaries in the newly-established commercial district of Westmoreland. But it was not a success, and he soon abandoned his dream of operating a candy store. The following year he replaced it with a grocery store. This storefront was situated on Milwaukie Avenue, on the northwest corner of S.E. Henry. However, William continued to experiment – alternating between running a grocery store and trying to establish a bakery.
Fortunately, Mr. Zinck had a building big enough to sell bakery items and also to run a market. A plus: William and Bertha lived upstairs above their store, so commuting to work wasn't a problem.
Lacking baking skills, William decided to partner with Alex Gorr – and, together, they started the Midway Bakery in 1925 in the rear of the grocery store. The bakery advertised the baking of cakes for special occasions, as well as cookies and doughnuts; but again, this bakery only lasted about five years. Although his baking and candy ideas were not panning out, William Zinck finally realized that running the Moreland Grocery Store was where his true talents lay. William was such a prominent fixture behind the counter that housewives and children in the community referred to the little Westmoreland market as Zinck's. Not much was heard about the bakery in the start of the 1930's, but the grocery store was already well-established with local customers.
During the Great Depression, many stores closed in Sellwood and Westmoreland, since few owners could afford to keep extending their impoverished customers credit, or to keep the business going when sales were poor. William and Bertha had to run the grocery store by themselves, since they couldn't afford to hire additional help.
In 1934, two men – Harold Martinson, and Floyd Dixson – entered Zinck's Grocery with a proposal to rent a section of the store to open their own bakery. After negotiations, and plenty of handshaking, Martinson and Dixson established a wholesale bakery in the back of Zinck's Market, employing a sparse crew of from three to four workers.
It appears that since the day he was born, Harold Martinson ate, slept, and dreamed of being the owner of a baking company. Previously he'd worked at the Davidson Bakery, and then became plant supervisor with the Homestead Bakery.
The two partners chose the name "Ruth Ashbrook Bakery" – a brand that was started in 1919 by L.C. Stiles, who owned a commercial bakery in Seattle. The Pacific Coast Gazette claimed that that business ran sixteen wagons, and employed fourteen people, making and delivering fresh pastries in the Emerald City.
Home-cooked meals and mouthwatering desserts had long been considered the domain of women. How many of us fondly remember our mother's favorite recipe, or those wonderful cookies that grandma use to make? Marketing Companies learned that marketing their boxed products with names like Betty Crocker, Sara Lee, Mrs. Smith's Pies, or Aunt Jemima, enjoyed great success.
The name "Ruth Ashbrook" seemed to be synonymous with good old home baking, even though like those other trademarks, it was not the name of a real person – just a trade name dreamed up by the Stiles family.
What started out as a small-scale operation – packaging and selling wholesale sweets to just a few local businesses like Safeway and Franz Bakery – soon grew as a result of a host of other retailers wanting the Ashbrook Bakery to bake their own branded goodies.
Before long, the Ashbrook Bakery was cranking out over thirty different varieties of related baked goods – including coffee cake, streusel, butterhorns, cinnamon rolls, and a sweet cake called "Butterflies".
Martinson and Stiles perfected the process of manufacturing sweets from a customers' secret recipe, wrapping it in the customer's trademarked packaging, and delivering it to the customers' stores in a timely manner.
Once the bakery was in full production in Westmoreland, the Martinson family, headed by Harold and Mary, moved into a house on 18th Avenue at Lambert Street in the south end of Westmoreland, where they raised their two children, Jerry and Lerrene.
When he became old enough, young Jerry was introduced to the fine art of pastry-making. Jerry began accompanying his dad to the bakery, where Harold wanted to ensure his son learned all of the ins and outs of the baking business. Most boys back then got excited when they received their first bicycle, baseball glove, model plane, or basketball. But Jerry was joyful at being given a rolling pin and a ball of dough by his dad! Jerry Martinson explains, "My dad sat me down in front of a pastry table, plopped a ball of dough on the counter, and gave me a rolling pin. And, like any other kid, I just started playing around with it."
Jerry attended St. Agatha's Primary School, and when he was not spending time with dough and rolling pins, he joined the boys around the neighborhood in various sports activities. On the weekends, or after school, you could find Jerry hanging out with his buddies, playing pick-up ball at the Sellwood Community Center. School games that he participated in at St Agatha's took place in the old gymnasium located upstairs above the cafeteria.
When school was out for the summer, the Martinson family headed to the Oregon Coast. They usually rented a cabin for four to five weeks at Rockaway, or found a cute cottage at Manhattan Beach up the road.
Rockaway was the happening place to be during the 1950's – tourists came to swim in the natatorium, go bowling, or ride the bumper cars. There were many activities to keep a young eight-year-old boy busy all summer there. To earn extra cash for salt water taffy, Jerry set up bowling pins at the Rockaway Bowling Alley. The huge natatorium was located near the bowling venue; and when he wasn't working or exploring the sandy beaches, you could find him spending many an afternoon in the pool.
By spending the summer in the small resort town, Jerry soon began to be known by everyone in the community – from the Postal Clerk to the ice cream vendor down the street. Even the Rockaway Police Department knew the Westmoreland lad. In fact, they gave little eight-year-old Jerry a sheriff's badge and cap that he often wore down in the busy commercial district, letting the visitors who passed by him that he was the law.
A favorite pastime for him as a junior sheriff was scrutinizing the vacationers, to see if they resembled any of the faces on the "wanted" posters at the police headquarters. He took his (unpaid) job seriously.
And each morning, Jerry would wait for the local Franz delivery truck to stop and pick him up. The driver delivered bread up and down Highway 101, and somehow Jerry talked him into being his helper. The driver, Durwood Jagger, had a route along the North Coast delivering Franz Bread products to all of the small grocery stores. Jerry thought it was fun stacking the bread on store shelves, and unloading the wooden boxes filled with bread from the back of the truck. For donating all this time and effort, he usually only received a piece of candy or stick of gum. One day, feeling generous, the driver gave Jerry a bag of candy for being such a great helper. Jerry got sick after he ate the whole bag at one sitting!
His father Harold, busy all week in the summer at the Bakery in Westmoreland, would drive down from Portland on the weekends after work to join his family in Rockaway.
After he started high school, Jerry began spending more time at the Bakery on Milwaukie Avenue to supplement his income. He began to understand how the bakery business was changing from those early years, when everything was done manually. In the early days, just completing a single order of cinnamon rolls for a client might require between ten and fifteen people. Indeed, at the height of its production, the Ashbrook Bakery had to rely on 135 employees working three shifts to fill each day's orders.
But as times changed, new and modern machines were installed to speed up the production time and increase the output. When the baked goods were finished, customers could pick them up, or company drivers in blue-colored Ashbrook Bakery vans would deliver them.
The machinery didn't immediately reduce the payroll – it increased efficiency. Over the years, workers were assigned various positions as rollers, wrappers, cutters, and deliverymen. Jerry began to learn how each section of the bakery operated. The process was time-consuming, and required a lot of workers to complete the final product. By 1960, new machines replaced the previous ones to further increase the output of the bakery.
Stores now long-gone once lined the busy streets of Westmoreland when Jerry began attending Central Catholic High School. Kienows' on S.E. Duke Street (now QFC) and the Piggly Wiggly on S.E. Tacoma Street were just a couple of the grocery stores he visited. More obscure food markets in Westmoreland included Retteman's Meat Market – and the Friendly Grocery, which was where the Silver Lining woman's consignment shop is now.
According to Jerry, Bertie Lou's in Sellwood had the best hamburgers in town; and the owner at the time, Betty Shaw, was always entertaining to the customers who stopped by – but not always very welcoming. One time, he remembers, while he sat at the counter enjoying his meal, one of the other patrons wanted to substitute an item on the menu. Betty responded by throwing a set of utensils at the customer, and told him to get out! "From then on, I learned to keep my mouth shut when Betty was on duty," remarked Jerry.
During his sophomore year, Jerry played on the Central Catholic football team. Ducktails, greased hair, and suede shoes were just a few of the fashionable styles that high schoolers were sporting during the late 1950s.
Back at the Ashbrook Bakery – after serving the community for over forty years, William and Bertha Zinck decided it was time to call it quits in the grocery business. As the bakery's sales were still increasing, Harold bought the two-story wooden structure from the Zincks, with plans to update the bakery.
With the wholesale baking business booming, Harold needed additional space and new machinery for the mass production needed to keep up with the additional orders. Just a few of the companies they contracted with by this time were the Associated Grocers in Seattle, the Oroweat Company, Franz U.S. Bakers, and the Hostess Cakes and Williams Bakery in Eugene. According to Bakers Weekly, in an article by Edward R. Lucas, by the mid 1960's the bakery was operating in a plant of 20,000 square feet, with a crew of about 50 employees. Martinson also leased additional space near 21st and S.E. Ochoco Street, where fruit pies and doughnuts were made and shipped out to clients. .
The Ashbrook Bakery's first major setback occurred in April of 1969, when Harold Martinson suddenly passed away. Looking to secure the future of the company for his family before his death, Harold had bought out his then-partner LeConie Stiles, and had placed his children Jerry and Lerrene in charge of the company, to continue its success.
Reminiscing about his late father, Jerry said that Harold spent a lot of time sitting at a large wooden desk going over accounts near a round metal stove. Harold, during his busy days at the bakery, even found time to climb Mt. Hood, Jerry recalls.
Operating the Ruth Ashbrook Bakery was quite a challenge for Jerry Martinson – he was only 27 years old when his father died. But, under the experienced direction of the General Manger, Lawrence Fields, and the leadership and dedication of Jo Wilmarth, the Office Manager and the person in charge of the payroll, the Ashbrook Bakery continued to be an icon in the neighborhood. Lawrence stayed with the company for 43 years, and Jo Wilmarth contributed over 40 years of service.
By 1981, the company had purchased the Arden Mayfair Milk Plant, which produced the fillings for their fruit pies and other sweet treats.
Because of his love of sports, Jerry and the Ashbrook Bakery sponsored many Little League baseball teams in Westmoreland and Sellwood. He even invited old school chums, like Gary Elliott from Cleveland High, to play with him on the slow-pitch team supported by the bakery. Gary helped organize an AAU basketball team that both men were able to participate in during the evenings. Jerry remembers that the team even included a few ex-Portland Trailblazers who'd retired from the NBA. More than that, Darnell Valentine, who was a three-time Academic All-American and spent 4½ years with the Blazers, was once a part of the Ashbrook basketball team!
When he was not enjoying his own desserts from Ruth Ashbrook, Jerry recalls that the Westmoreland Pharmacy, on the northeast corner of Bybee Boulevard and Milwaukie Avenue, had the best sodas; and "Dells and Dolls" on Tacoma Street had fantastic milk shakes. In his spare time he enjoyed taking in the latest movies down the street at the Moreland Theater. It was there where one of his friends, who worked at the theater concession stand, introduced him to a cute young lady named Susan Day – and, just as in some of the films they watched together there, they got hitched, and continued to live close by in the neighborhood.
Together, Susan and Jerry raised five boys – Mark, Christopher, David, Jeffrey, and Mathew – all of whom were active in the community in their own adventures.
By the start of the 1990s, the wholesale baking business had taken a new direction. Companies that ordered baked products from the Ashbrook Bakery began building their own bakeries, and producing their own baked products. Companies like Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Albertsons began hiring and training their own employees for these bakeries. They no longer needed to place orders with wholesalers like Ashbrook Bakery.
At the same time, most of the manufacturing equipment at the Ashbrook Bakery by then needed to be replaced; and the building needed upgrading. The Martinson family decided that it was time to sell.
Oregon Health Sciences University bought the property, and tore down the aging Ashbrook Bakery – replacing it with a state-of-the-art local clinic. Later, OHSU closed that clinic, and the facility is currently occupied by Northwest Primary Care of Milwaukie.
The days of buying a dozen eggs or a quart of milk at Zinck's Grocery Store are long gone, as are the heavenly smells throughout the Westmoreland business district of the baking at Ruth Ashbrook's.
But, since what goes around comes around, who knows? Possibly another large bakery will appear somewhere in Inner Southeast Portland; and the smells emanating from it will bring back fond memories of Ruth Ashbrook's – so much a part of Westmoreland for a large part of the Twentieth Century.
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The City Bakery closed last year, and fans of its hot chocolate worried that that would be the end. But the bakery’s founder, Maury Rubin, is opening the Wonderbon Chocolate Company on Saturday, with a new partner, Alex Atzberger, a chocolate aficionado. The pop-up is a celebration of all things chocolate, starting with steaming cups of the hot kind. The counter-service shop occupies the space that some might recall as home to the original Murray’s Cheese, now across the street.
At Wonderbon, there will be at least a dozen flavors, including white miso, malted milk, espresso and cinnamon as well as classic, introduced gradually throughout February. Flavored whipped creams are a new option, but because of production issues there are no marshmallows. (Bring your own.) The hot chocolate is made, as it has always been, by melting chocolate bars, not from cocoa powder.
In the future, Mr. Rubin plans to use this technique to develop an instant hot chocolate that can be shipped nationwide. Chocolate truffles, tartines, puddings and a vegan chocolate-avocado shake are also served.
Chocolate happy hour with spiked hot chocolate, like rum with coconut whipped cream, will happen on weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. For now, Wonderbon is in the new West Village location for three months, a time frame that may be extended.
The Wonderbon Chocolate Company, 257 Bleecker Street (Cornelia Street), 646-410-0222, wonderbon.com.
There's a brand-new bakery in town. Located at 3460 W. 25th St. in Clark Fulton, the newcomer is called Half Moon Bakery.
Half Moon Bakery specializes in empanadas and also offers sandwiches and salads. On the menu, expect to see empanadas like pepperoni pizza, four-cheese and chicken taco.
Half Moon Bakery has proven popular thus far, with a 4.5-star rating out of three reviews on Yelp.
Nancy K., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on Jan. 24, wrote, "I'll start with the empanadas. They are large and filling, and there is quite an assortment. My favorite is the taco empanada. I'm usually not a ground beef fan, but this had all the hallmarks of a taco - shredded lettuce, ground beef, generous helping of cheese, etc."
And Eddy R. wrote, "The Cuban sandwich was phenomenal, just the right amount of meat ratio to bread, which is baked in-house..."
Interested? Stop by to welcome the new business to the neighborhood. Half Moon Bakery is open from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
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BRIDGEPORT — Thursday was supposed to be a “soft” opening for Bridgeport Bakery, a sort of rehearsal for its grand reopening February 10, but by 6 a.m. it had completely sold out of beloved bacon buns.
Word had spread in the neighborhood after new owner Can Lao’s posted on Facebook that he’d be behind the counter of the 2907 S. Archer Ave. bakery Thursday. Those who missed the memo promptly pulled their cars over upon seeing the neon sign in the window glow once again.
Former owner Ron Pavelka closed the bakery in October, devastating its diehard fans. Saddened by the news, Lao sprung into action, buying the bakery from Pavelka and learning the recipes that made the place a Bridgeport staple for nearly 50 years.
Fifth generation Bridgeport resident Maggie Finucane made her way over Thursday morning to buy a coffee cake and donut holes. She’d heard through the grapevine the bakery she depended on was open again.
“You know the rumor mill in Bridgeport,” Finucane said. “I’m very happy because it was seemed to be one more thing in our lives that was gone, and now it’s back.”
Bridgeport Bakery opened Thursday morning, delighting locals. New owner Can Lao stands behind the counter.Bob Chiarito/Block Club Chicago
Finucane, who works nearby at a police uniform store at 36th and Halsted streets, said her niece and nephew stocked up on pastries on the day former owner Ron Pavelka closed in October.
“They still have some in their freezer. They acted like it was their last meal,” Finucane said. “My niece called me this morning and is all excited.”
Lao, who has lived in Bridgeport for more than two decades, said he’s still in the process of being trained by Pavelka, who agreed to mentor him when he sold the 47-year-old bakery to him in December.
Lao also re-hired the bakers and most of Pavelka’s old staff. He has said he plans to continue to focus on offering the traditional treats that the bakery is known for, such as donuts, bacon buns and ethnic pastries like Paczki while eventually offering a few Asian items to honor his heritage.
Along with retaining former employees, Lao has kept the bakery the same, except for a new floor and ceiling. He said the business passed its health inspection and received its license on Wednesday, leading to Thursday’s opening.
Bridgeport Bakery opened Thursday morning, delighting locals.Bob Chiarito/Block Club Chicago
On Thursday, Karen Medina, who worked at the bakery for 9 years, was back behind the counter serving patrons.
“It’s really nice to see familiar faces,” Medina said.
Six year employee Maria Pantoja echoed Medina, saying when the bakery closed in October it was a sad day.
“It was so sad, customers were crying,” Pantoja said.
Both employees said Lao contacted them about a month ago and are happy that the bakery lives on.
Tom Cervantes, a 52-year-old lifelong Bridgeport resident, said he saw something on Facebook about the bakery being open and rushed over.
“As soon as I found out I came over. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid,” Cervantes said. He bought a ham and cheese croissant and said he’d be back Friday morning for the bacon buns, which were long sold out by the time he arrived.
Another long-time patron, Brighton Park resident, John “JT” Kane, said he was driving by when he noticed the bakery was open and had to stop in.
“This is the only good bakery between here and Harlem [Avenue],” Kane said. “I’ve ordered a dozen poppy seed kolaczkis for Valentine’s Day for my wife for years and am glad I can again.”
Kane put in his order for the upcoming holiday and also bought a couple sweet rolls — chocolate cake flavored and custard.
Bridgeport Bakery opened Thursday morning, delighting locals.Bob Chiarito/Block Club Chicago
Lao said he’s not sure what he’ll do for the “official” opening on February 10, but said he’ll be ready it — as well as the mega-popular Paczki Day February 25. Pavelka said they sold about 25,000 of the pastries last year.
Medina, smiling from behind the counter, said she’s optimistic about the rebirth of the bakery under Lao’s stewardship.
“He has all the old recipes, he’s learning from Ron. I like that he got us to come back. He’ll do well,” Medina said.
Bridgeport Bakery is open 5 a.m-1 p.m. Monday, 5 am.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 5 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday and 5 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.
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For many of us, the day doesn't begin until we visit one of our favorite coffee shops in Westmoreland.
Operating the Ruth Ashbrook Bakery was quite a challenge for Jerry Martinson – he was only 27 years old when his father died. But, under the experienced direction of the General Manger, Lawrence Fields, and the leadership and dedication of Jo Wilmarth, the Office Manager and the person in charge of the payroll, the Ashbrook Bakery continued to be an icon in the neighborhood. Lawrence stayed with the company for 43 years, and Jo Wilmarth contributed over 40 years of service.
