In 1898, William Entemann opened a bakery in Flatbush & made local deliveries of bread, rolls, and cakes. In the early 1900s, his son William developed rheumatic fever and it was suggested they move to the country. They settled on Bay Shore and operated a retail shop from there.
When William Jr. died in 1951, his three sons made two decisions. They decided to bring their baked goods to the supermarkets and they would stop making bread and rolls. In 1957, Entemann’s was introduced to Food Fair Stores. It became so successful that home deliveries were ceased. Martha Entemann designed and created the see-through cake box in 1959. By 1961, it became so popular, a new bakery had to be built to meet the demand. They built a five-acre facility in Bay Shore. In 1975, they opened a bakery in Miami.
In 1978, the Warner-Lambert Company bought Entemann’s. Within months of the purchase, a new 120,000 square foot plant was opened in Miami and a processing center was built in Albany. In 1979, they opened a bakery in Chicago. In 1982, General Foods purchased Entemann’s from Warner-Lambert. In 1984, Entemann’s products were introduced in San Diego.
Entemann’s was then purchased by
Bimbo Bakeries and in 2014, they closed their Bay Shore facility.
Sources:
Between Ocean and Empire: An Illustrated History of Long Island. Windsor Publications, 1985
Kosman, Josh. “Entenmann's to Close
Landmark LI Bakery, Lay off 178.” New York Post, New York Post, 28 Mar.
2014, nypost.com/2014/03/27/entenmanns-to-close-landmark-li-bakery-lay-off-178
