For 80 years, Front Street Bakery has been a fixture in downtown Rockville Centre, its ovens emitting aromas that are seared into the memories of generations of local families, and its signature dot cookies delighting so many of their children.
The family-run shop at 51 Front St. has long been a stop for residents picking up crumb cake for Sunday mornings, pastries for gatherings or custom cakes for major life celebrations. As the bakery marks its 80th anniversary this year, the milestone reflects generations of dedication and the perseverance required to sustain a family business through changing times.
“It’s a big milestone,” Co-owner Lisa Acerno said. “Some businesses don’t even make a year sometimes. It’s not easy to run a business in this day and age.”
Acerno has worked at the bakery since childhood, helping in the shop in the early 1970s and eventually teaming with her parents, John Wohlfarth Jr. and Arlene Wohlfarth.
“I worked in the city, I worked in a dental office, and then I always helped out a little bit [at the bakery],” Acerno said. “I would help out here and there, but they never forced me to work. But once I did, I decided that this is what I wanted to do.”
The bakery’s roots date back to the early 20th century. Julius “John” Wohlfarth Sr. arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, from Germany as a toddler in 1910, while Frieda Kloepfer emigrated from a town near Stuttgart in 1926 at age 15.
After arriving in New York, Frieda worked in her aunt’s Woodside bakery and later for her uncle, William Entenmann Sr., founder of the renowned Entenmann’s bakery. By 1930, John was working as a delivery driver for his brother-in-law’s bakery in Sayville, where he met Frieda during one of his routes. The two married in 1932.
Their son, John Jr., joined the operation after serving for four years in the U.S. Navy as a cook and baker. He later ran the business with his wife, Arlene.
In 2000, the third generation took over, when Jeffrey Wohlfarth Sr. and Acerno assumed leadership. Wohfarth Sr. continued baking longtime favorites such as Danish crumb cake, seven-layer cake and the original pink dot cookies, while also introducing custom fondant and specialty cakes. His wife, Angela, joined the team to help support daily operations, and Lisa focused on customer service while adding offerings like dessert platters, gift baskets and seasonal dot cookie variations, and expanding its presence through Facebook and Instagram.
"My brother and I kind of brought it to the next level,” Acerno said. “With the fondant cakes, gift baskets and social media … back then they didn’t have anything like that.”
A major renovation in 2016 tripled the size of the storefront and kitchen, allowing the bakery to expand its offerings again while maintaining longtime recipes.
Today, a fourth generation helps lead the business. Jeffrey “J.J.” Wohlfarth Jr. co-owns the bakery with Acerno and her son, Robert.
“I used to spend a lot of time with my grandfather,” J.J. said. “It was kind of a bonding experience as well.”
For many residents, the bakery holds decades of personal memories. Catherine Brunetta, who grew up in Rockville Centre, said the shop remains her go-to bakery — even though she now lives in Massapequa.
“It means everything to me, because as soon as I need something big, I’m going to Front Street, regardless,” she said. “I live in Massapequa now, but I don’t care that it’s 11 miles away — that’s where I’m going.”
James Hirschfeld remembers visiting the bakery as a child in the 1970s and 1980s. “They’re not just really good bakers, but I was a little kid, and they would just always give you a cookie,” he recounted. “Always.”
Louise Renda, who worked at the bakery for 36 years after starting there in 1978, said the business has always maintained a strong connection to the community.
“They really know their customers. They really are interested,” Renda said. “If somebody dies, they go to their wake. If somebody’s sick, Lisa is always there, bringing them [treats]. If they're in the hospital, she brings to the nurses. They’re nice to take care of the people.”
Andi Brennan, a Rockville Centre native, said the bakery has been part of her life for decades. “A lifetime of memories,” she said. “I’m 76, so the bakery is my whole life.”
One tradition that has endured is the complimentary dot cookie for children who visit. “I remember as a child the grandmother, Frieda, behind the counter handing me a dot cookie every time I came in,” Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray said in a statement. “Moments like that are what make places like this so special to our community.”
The past year has been a difficult one for the family. Last June, Jeffrey Wohlfarth Sr. died at age 69, after battling pancreatic cancer. His absence continues to linger in the bakery.
“He definitely has an impact on the business still, in memory of him,” J.J. said. “We’re making him proud.”
Acerno reflected on the loss of the brother she spent decades working beside. “My brother was always here with me,” she said quietly. “So that’s a big thing.”
