Perhaps the best-smelling block in town
If Reinwald’s Bakery in Huntington could bottle the smell of their shop and sell it as cologne for men, their bakery wouldn’t be the only place in town to find a line of salivating women. Walking through the bakery doors and catching just a hint of the deliciously wonderful fragrances from their fresh breads, scones, cakes and coffee can melt a girl’s heart. Rich Reinwald told us his mother and his wife, both bakers’ daughters, claimed that they would never marry a baker themselves. The reality is, even the strongest of women are rendered powerless when it comes to the scent of fresh baked bread and chocolate cake. Reinwald’s has conjured up the perfect chemistry for our town, making it difficult to decipher if they are irresistible because of their superior delectables or the charm of this family of bakers
Carole and Rich Reinwald
Rich and his nephew Bill Reinwald took some time to talk with the VT this week and tell us a little bit of their history. Rich learned to bake at his father’s side who, in turn, learned from his father. Although many in the family have taken cooking classes, are registered master bakers and graduates of culinary schools, they are still using recipes that have been passed down from grandpa which means that everything is made from real ingredients you understand. Rich says he was a lucky kid with one grandfather who was a baker from Austria and another who was a baker from Bavaria. Lucky or not, with a lineage like that, he was born to be a baker. The family has had bakeries in Manhattan, Queens, and then New Hyde Park until they all ended up together in Huntington. Rich says that to him Huntington has the best of all worlds. The diverse customer base in this town appreciates his creativity as a baker and tries his new creations with gusto. Although his customers in Queens were loyal, they didn’t like to vary their tried and true favorites.
The favorite nephew and the diplomat
When we say that Reinwald’s is a family baker we mean it. They have eight family members working together. With Rich affectionately nicknamed” the diplomat” and Bill “the favorite nephew” the chocolate mousse runs smoothly. Rich has always enjoyed employing the neighborhood teenagers and introducing them into the world of baking and also to the responsibilities that come with being an employee in a community. It has been richly gratifying for him to have college graduates come back to tell him that no matter what their chosen profession is, many of the life lessons that they learned behind the Reinwald’s counter have provided confidence in their capabilities as young adults.
The Reinwalds are in an unique position to be part of local family celebrations. They are there with a special cake for a newborn and then throughout the year until, before you know it, that baby needs a christening cake. The Reinwald family respects and welcomes families into their store. While I was there with my 2,4, and 6 year-olds, not only did a complete stranger give each of my three girls $1 for a cupcake, Bill set them up with a box of cookies. As they devoured the cookies and ran wild through the store yelling like banshees, not one employee or customer batted an eye or looked at them with anything but a smile.
As the favorite neighborhood bakery, Reinwald’s has got it made.
Reinwald’s Bakery is located at 495 New York Avenue,
Huntington, NY 11743 (631) 424-4034
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