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Best of Philly 2007 |
Kohler's Bakery: A Tradition of ExcellenceIn 1949, Avalon, NJ was a sleepy sea-side town without much more than a bar, a hotel and a real estate office. When Mr. & Mrs. Kohler decided to open a bakery in such a small community, there were those that scoffed at the idea. Well, the naysayers were quickly proved wrong. The Kohler's sold out their very first weekend! After that it didn't take long for the word to spread about the new bakery in town that was serving up delicious homemade buns and donuts. The Kohler's retired after seventeen years and sold the business to Mr. Kohler's young apprentice and his wife, Bernie & Marcia Bischoff. The Bischoffs originally planned to own the business for five years. Twenty-five years later, they decided it was time to retire. In 1991 the Bischoff's turned the ovens over to the brother and sister team of Mary and Martin McNamara. Both had worked for the Bischoff's as teenagers and learned the business from the ground up. But after five years, Martin decided to leave the wonderful world of baking for an advanced degree at the University of Pennsylvania. (We really are the best educated bakery around.) At a weak moment in 1995, Mary's sister Christina decided that getting up at 3am might not be so bad and signed up to be Mary's new partner. This brings us to 2008, where the fourth generation of owners has begun. Two friends that have worked side by side for over 10 years in the bakery, Katie Foehr and Colleen Quinn, decided to join forces and become owners. Katie Foehr grew up in Southampton, Bucks County, PA and has always loved spending time in Avalon. She would enjoy stopping at Kohler’s with her family to get some “crumb buns,” not realizing that someday she would own the business! As it turned out, she starting working at the bakery at age 16 for her cousins, Mary and Christina McNamara. Kate was happy to be part of the “Best Buns in the Sun” crew. After graduating from Messiah College with a BA, her dream of having her own business came true with the retirement of her mentor cousins. She was thrilled to be the new and 4th in line of Kohler’s owners with friend Colleen. This is an exciting time of her life with this opportunity, and looking forward to her marriage to fiancé Greg later this year. In the off-season, Kate works at the accounting firm Kreischer-Miller in Horsham, PA. As a lifelong resident of Avalon, Colleen's ties to Kohler's Bakery extend further back than just her enjoyment of their cream donuts when she was just a little girl. During the summer of 1952, her grandparents rented the apartment above the old bakery and hardly a day went by that "buns" didn't grace the family's table that year or any subsequent year. Following in her brother Chris' path of being the Inquirer paper boy in front of Kohler's, then moving into the bakery as a baker's assistant, Colleen, at age eleven, was the "paper girl" for several years before becoming a Kohler's "store girl" for twelve years. Now, as a co-owner in the business, she intends to continue to bake up Kohler's traditional recipes so that Avalon's families of today can share in its history. In the off season, Colleen lives in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. She is a certified athletic trainer for Pain Relief and Physical Therapy and Haverford Township High School and Middle School. And that brings us to today...2008 is Kohler's 59th year in business. Although a few new products have been added and a new building replaced the original in 1980, the recipes, baking methods and friendly service have not changed and you can still find customers waiting in line on the corner of 27th & Dune Drive for the cinnamon buns and cream donuts that they remember from their childhood. Why not visit our store? Or if you're too far away, take a look at our product list and order some buns today! |
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