By: Lisa Hornung
Photos By: Matt Johnson
Heitzman Traditional Bakery and Deli is Moving into its 5th Generation with Old-time Ingredients
Most people in the Louisville area know the Heitzman name. We associate it with delicious baked goods -- cakes, pies, doughnuts or butter kuchen. But while Heitzman’s Traditional Bakery does make delicious sweets, it’s far more than just a bakery.
Heitzman Traditional Bakery and Deli is a full-service restaurant, bakery and catering company. The company has been in Louisville for 133 years, founded on Burnett Avenue in Germantown by Jacob Heitzman in 1891. Jacob’s great-granddaughter Marguerite Osting Schadt now owns the business with her husband Dan Schadt, and soon will pass it down to their son Matthew, who will run it for the next 30 years, Marguerite Schadt said. Matthew Shadt, 25, will become the fifth generation to own the business, and he’s been working at the bakery cafe full time for the past two years.
“Jacob Heitzman came over on the boat from Germany, and he was actually a brickmaker at the beginning of his life,” Marguerite Schadt said. “And he thought the business was too hot. So, he was trying to find something a little bit more… I can't say that it was more air because you couldn’t have air conditioning in a shop (and it wasn’t available at the time). But just looking for something a little bit not as hot and humid.”
Jacob’s son, Charles Heitzman, bought the bakery in 1934. His daughter, Mary Agnes Heitzman Osting, and her husband, Paul Osting, bought it in 1954, making them the third generation of the business. Marguerite Osting, the youngest of five, began working at Heitzman at age 6, as much as a 6-year-old can. She later met her husband Dan Schadt, who also worked at Heitzman, and they would eventually become the fourth generation to own the business.
They moved the business to 9426 Shelbyville Road in 2000, where it remains today. The facility is more than 6,000 square feet, and houses the entire operation of baking, catering and the cafe.
“We're more than just a donut shop,” Marguerite Schadt said. “We've been doing catering for over 65 years. We can do bartending, whole wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners. We rent out our space here in the dining room for bridal parties and showers. We do that a lot.”
The company has 18 to 20 full-time employees, including two full-time chefs. It has 10 part-time employees and a fleet of three trucks. “We've got longevity with our employees, too,” Schadt said. “We've got some employees that have been with us as long as 38 years. I've been working for 45. My husband has worked here for 40.”
A recent addition to the shop has been a windowed wall where guests in the dining room can watch the bakers in the shop work. The new wall was installed in December. “It’s really the big adults -- the big kids -- who are enjoying it more. It's amazing how people just stand up and see it. They just love the look of the muffins coming out, the chocolate cake coming out, the hams all that,” Schadt said. It's something that people really don't see anymore. It's not coming out of a box, you know. It's literally being made by people's hands.”
Schadt emphasized that all the food from Heitzman Traditional Bakery and Deli is made with whole ingredients, just like you’d make at home. There are no preservatives, and nothing is made with mixes. It’s all fresh and made by hand.
“Food is always a part of a party. And that's what we're here for, is to accommodate (customers),” Schadt said. “And I think that's one of the reasons we have done so well is because there is food at every party, and we just try to keep it 100 percent. We try to make it as fast as we can, and people seem to be coming back. So, that's what we enjoy.”
She said the company ships anywhere for people nostalgic for Heitzman goodies. And having the history of each item adds to the joy. “If anybody needs to know how something is made or how it was actually started in our business, there's always a story behind it,” she said. “That's the beautiful part about it because I can name each individual and tell you a story behind it. For instance, the butter kuchen, like where it started and what's in it. You know, a lot of people love it so much. When people bring it up, it's a good memory, and it brings people back home. That's what we want to keep alive in our community.”
Community, tradition and family bring Heitzman Traditional Bakery and Deli into the 21st century and beyond. “We want to let people know that we are here because we are here for the community,” Marguerite Schadt said.” We're not really here for the almighty dollar per se, but really for the community. And that's what we've been doing in our family for over 133 years.”