Riesterer’s: a reflection of historical change in West Hempstead

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It has thrived through the Depression, World War II and Long Island’s growth boom of the 40s, 50s and 60s. Its baked goods have changed with the pace of the times, and alongside the preferences of diverse immigrants and ethnic groups that established a life here. They have kept up with the times, incorporating popular cartoon characters of the day into their cookies, cupcakes and birthday cakes. The staff even has a tradition of marrying the bakery’s sales girls.

As they celebrate their 85th anniversary of their arrival in West Hempstead, Riesterer’s Bakery has many stories to tell of their many years in West Hempstead, all of which reflect a business growing and thriving together with its people, and Long Island in general.

Riesterer’s opened in its same location in October 1931 by Gus Riesterer and his wife, Wally. The couple, both from Germany, met when the two worked together in a small bakery in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They eventually married, and came to the United States where they eventually bought what is today Riesterer’s Bakery.

When the store opened during the Depression, white bread and cookies were popular because they didn’t’ require refrigeration, which everyone didn’t have. Everyone also didn’t have a car, and the bakery opened a second store on Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead to accommodate demand.

During the World War II years, any cake was a luxury and one of the most popular at the bakery was their seven-layer cake — which is still popular today. Staples like bread and rolls were the main sellers of the day.

After the war, when Nassau County began to grow, Riesterer’s began to supply breads, rolls muffins to the area schools and hospitals like Mercy and Winthrop. “As the infrastructure of Nassau County grew, we grew with them,” said Karl Reisterer, grandson of the bakery’s founding couple. Baked goods containing butter cream and whipped cream started getting more popular because refrigeration was now in everyone’s homes. It was during this time that éclairs began their skyrocket to fame.

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