Last call for sweets: Longtime Homestead bakery Blue Bonnet closing for good on Christmas Eve
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The bread will no longer rise at Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery after Thursday.
The longtime Homestead staple for fresh bread, homemade buns and tasty sweet treats from doughnuts to cakes to cookies is closing on Christmas Eve.
“It’s time to retire,” said owner Michael Mantsch, 66, of West Mifflin, who has been working in a bakery since he was a child. “I just don’t want to work anymore. The days are long, and it’s hard to find good bakers.”
His shop is the last of its kind in the neighborhood that in the 1970s had four doughnut and bakery stores. He said there have been some inquiries to buy the business, but he’s telling everyone to wait until after the holidays to discuss it.
“The past few weeks I have been working a lot,” said Mantsch, who arrives around midnight and stays most of the day, especially throughout the holiday season.
Mantsch has quite a system to get everything made and ready to sell first thing in the morning, said Lisa Evans of West Homestead, who has worked at the bakery for 26 years. She said Mantsch did most of the Thanksgiving baking orders by himself.
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He said there really wasn’t a question about what he would do for a living. He watched his father, Elmer Mantsch, who grew up in Homestead, bake bread in the family house and sell it out of a truck.
His father and his brothers opened a bakery after World War II in Brookline and then took over the Homestead location in the 1950s. His son said that as a youngster, he helped with the cleaning, most notably scraping icing off of everything.
Michael Mantsch has been in charge of baking at the Homestead location for almost five decades. The doughnuts are a favorite and this time of the year nut rolls, fruit-filled pastries and cakes sell well.
He said they’ve done well this year. They were able to be open throughout the pandemic because it’s an essential business. There have been some challenges with limiting the number of people in the shop at one time, he said.
And he expects this Christmas week to be the busiest.
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It always is, said Evans, who knows a lot of the customers by name.
One of those is Charles Thompson of Glenwood. He said he doesn’t buy baked goods anywhere else. The cupcakes and the pies are delicious, he said.
“This is a fabulous bakery,” Evans said. “I was so hurt when I heard it was closing. There are very few small town bakeries around anymore.”
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Evans said the bakery is more than a store. It’s a place for neighbors to see each other and friends and families to purchase cakes for that special celebration.
“It’s like a family here,” Evans said. “I love working here because we all get along. I am going to miss it.”
So is Mantsch, who is looking forward to working on his golf game in retirement.
“I don’t think it will hit me until it’s over,” he said. “It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery is located at 338 E. 8th Ave. in Homestead.
Hours will be 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday.