Lubeley's Bakery and Deli

Since 1937

Ed and Helen Lubeley opened their first Bakery back in 1937 at the corner of Kingshighway and Neosho. Business was tough at first but it was a great time to be in St. Louis. The end of the Depression was near and business was starting to pick up. The Cardinal's "Gas House Gang" was in full swing and Harry Truman had just won his first seat in the US Senate. Ed and Helen were loving life and a family, of 2 boys and 2 girls, was on the way. Ed Jr, Helen, Bob, and Sue were born in that order.

 Within just a few years time the Lubeley's had a full house! In 1946 the Lubeley's decided to pack up and head west to Maplewood. The customers followed, lured by Ed's delicious German pastries, cakes, and pies. Life was great but early in the 50's a development caught Ed's attention. It was called Yorkshire Plaza and it was the perfect spot for Ed to relocate his operation. Over in Webster Groves it was a family affair with all of the kids pitching in to help. Bob was sweeping up and helping his Dad with the chores and Helen and Sue worked the counter after school. The Bakery was rapidly stealing the hearts of South St. Louisans.

 Ed operated Lubeley's at the corner of Watson Rd and Laclede Station Rd for nearly 32 years. In 1982 more space was needed so the family went a few blocks east to their present day location at 7815 Watson Rd. Ed Sr passed away in 1992 but you can still find Ed's lovely wife Helen working the counters. Even at age 93 she shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to work everyday and she keeps a watchful eye over her family. Most folks say the Bakery would never run without her! The tradition continues with Ed and Helen's children maintaining the level of quality that their customers expect. Today Bob runs the day to day operations, Helen heads up the Bakery and Wedding Cake Business, and Bob's wife Carol manages the Deli. Sue Lubeley-Suardi serves as Head Decorator. The Lubeley's have an old saying that goes... "Our Reputation is Built on Quality" It meant something in 1937 and it means something today.

Lubeley's Bakery gets a makeover.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

1-30-2009

MARLBOROUGH — International food celebrity Poppin' Fresh — aka the Pillsbury Doughboy — will make a guest appearance at Lubeley's Bakery and Deli Saturday morning. But he's likely to have a lot of competition for photo opportunities from the local baking icon everyone knows as "Mrs. Lubeley."

A photo of Helen's four children hangs in wedding area. Three of her four children work in the bakery.
 

Helen Lubeley, 96, founded Lubeley's Bakery with her husband, Ed, in 1937. She still comes to work every day except Sunday (and Monday, when the bakery is closed). She spends much of her time boxing Lubeley's signature cakes, such as the white chocolate mousse cake and the seven-layer Dobosh torte. Other days
find her chopping celery for her daughter-in-law's popular deli-case chicken salad or helping out wherever else she's needed.

"I've always been a jack-of-all-trades here," Lubeley says.

Perhaps her most important job, however, is as an ambassador to generations of customers. "If I miss a day, there'll be a whole group in the next day asking, 'Helen, what happened to you?'" Lubeley says.

The original Lubeley's was at the corner of Kingshighway and Neosho Street in St. Louis, followed by locations on Sutton Avenue in Maplewood and Yorkshire Plaza in Webster Groves. The family moved the bakery to its current location at 7815 Watson Road in 1982.

Because the interior hadn't changed much since 1982, the family submitted an essay last year to the Merchandising Makeover contest sponsored by Pillsbury and its parent company, General Mills. In September, the Lubeleys learned they had won the grand prize of $5,000 and merchandising consultation from Pillsbury's retail experts and from members of the Retail Bakers of America, a trade association.

"When you're used to seeing things the same way for 25 years, it's really amazing to see it the way a third party sees it for the first time," says Helen Lubeley-Murray, Helen Lubeley's daughter. Lubeley-Murray and her brother, Bob Lubeley, now own the bakery.

They used the award money toward a renovation and expansion project that included modernizing the sit-down area and adding dining space in a new, glassed-in front room. They changed the color scheme from pink to blue and installed many new counters, fixtures and display racks.

The bakery stays true to its German roots with specialties such as stollens and Black Forest tortes while it produces timely items such as Pittsburgh Steelers- and Arizona Cardinals-themed cookies and sheet cakes.

Crumb cake and gooey butter cake are among Helen Lubeley's favorites, but she smiles mischievously when pointing out the bakery's popular dog treats.

"When he first made them, I said to my son, 'Who ever heard of dog treats in a bakery?' Now we have to make batches three or four times a week," she says.

Lubeley-Murray also points to old recipes such as salt-rising bread and coconut toast that keep traditions alive. Because similar bakeries are no longer owned by the original families, the Lubeleys believe they have the oldest family-run bakery in St. Louis. They estimate that as many as 400 similar full-service bakeries were in St. Louis when Lubeley's opened 72 years ago; now there are fewer than 10.

A new generation of Lubeleys also helps out in the bakery, but it's not clear whether the baking life will lure any of them to embrace the business as a career.

"I'm not sure who's going to take over when we retire," Lubeley-Murray said. "But we don't need to worry about that now. We plan to be here for a while."
 

Lubeley's Bakery and Deli- St. Louis - from MSN.com

There are older places for sweets in town, but Lubeley’s is the one St. Louis magazine dubbed “the area’s grand shrine” of bakeries. “When my father started in business 70 years ago, there were over a 100 family-owned full-service bakeries in town. Now there’s less a dozen,” says Sue Lubeley-Suardi, head decorator and one of the family members still running the show. “People come in who bring their grandchildren. This is just something you don’t see anymore.”

Family-owned and -operated since 1937—you can still find the store’s matriarch and official greeter, Helen Lubeley, 95,working behind the counter—its décor hasn’t changed much over its 70 years, giving it a nice old-fashioned feel. Neither have its recipes: This St. Louis mainstay, also housing a deli with some seating, focuses on its tradition as a German bakery with goodies such as stollen, Danishes, torte cakes and mousse cakes. Lubeley’s is also known for its gooey butters, “a quintessential thing in St. Louis bakeries,” the origins of which go back to a cake that wasn’t baked all the way through, according to Lubeley-Suardi. An “ooey-gooey mix of butter and sugar soft in the center of a coffee cake dough” is the gooey butter’s base, Lubeley-Suardi says, and other flavors, such as cinnamon or chocolate, can be added. “As if it’s not sweet enough,” she says.

Saint Louis favorite bakery for over 70 years!