Its all in the Family a Special Thanksgiving Memory

This time of year I think gets the best of all of us when it comes to our baking. In our family we come from a long line of Professional bakers  and I am proud to say I carry that jean .  I have to admit it did not come easy. I was the only one in the family entirety that did not work in the family bakery except on holidays. Oh yes I was in the bakery bagging Holiday Cookies folding boxes and yes like all of us sneaking a taste of some of Vero Beach finest Pastry.My baking skills did not come until later in life I remember one Thanksgiving which was held in our Moms home I made a Apple Pie and I used whole cloves Wow my Uncle just happen to get one of those tasty cloves in his mouth  and he quietly removed from his mouth and said to me " Lydia when using cloves in apple pies make sure you grind the clove it makes for better flavor and texture"

The Bakery was past down to my uncle  from generations past of Langbehn's as soon as he became of age he was sent to baking school  by our Grate Grandmother Miss Anna who ruled with a Iron Fist. although she did not start the bakery it was first started in the late 1800 by our Great Great Grandfather Peter Langbehn which he started the bakery in Moline Ill.He had 4 sons which grew of age and 2 moved to Vero Beach Florida. Henry Langbehn married then married Anna and thus the bakery started in Vero Beach Florida.Henry had learned the skill of baking also at a very early age and thus the talent has been past down.Our Mother Mary Jo Langbehn Mancini was a baker and although she was not sent to baking school my Mother learned the trade from her Grandfather Henry Langbehn. Mom did the pastry and I can say she made the best strudel around

Baking and cooking is one of my favorite past time as gardening and of course spending time with my family and Standard Poodles. But the Holidays Wow how I miss the days of the bakery. Back then their was only one line to the telephone and it rang constantly with orders for the Holidays. Cookies Pies Pastry Breads my gosh it never ended. I remember my Uncle walked by as it was 1 in the afternoon and the phone would not stop ringing he walked by the phone and took it off the hook and said we have to concentrate on the baking and not the phone. They had so many orders both my Uncle and Mom worked around the clock cat napping on the flour sacs in order to fulfill all of the orders. I cannot tell you how many bags of cookies we bagged and lets not forget the boxes we had to make
Grandmother was famous for cleaning when she would work in the afternoon she was always cleaning the bakery cases with ammonia yes the bakery was clean and we have Grandma to thank for that.

One thing I can say about our bakery nothing was made out of a box mix! Everything was was made from a formula which was past down from the Langbehn four fathers.This was very important to my Uncle and Mother to keep the family formulas at bay in fact to this day these formulas are guarded as they should be.

So many precious memories are in the  minds of  our family that we  could write a book but for now I will leave with you the thought that someday you will see on the shelves of History and  the story of Langbehn Bakery

Happy Thanksgiving
Lydia

Langbehn Bakery in Vero Beach Florida Grate Grandfather Henry Langbehn far right Miss Anna  Langbehn 4th to the right not sure of who the others are

 I love this Picture it is my favorite. To the far left is our Mom Mary Jo Langbehn Mom was 16 years of age the middle not sure but the far right is my Moms Grandfather our Grate Grandfather Henry Langbehn on the pasty bench



Below is our Grate Grate Grandfather Peter Langbehn and our Grate Grate Grandmother with one of the sons and the very first Bakery Truck Horse Drawn. This was in Moline Ill.