Virginia Bakery (Cincinnati, Madison, Clifton: wedding, buying, closing)

[PG77]

Is Virginia Bakery still around? It was in downtown Clifton I believe. They used to have something called "schnecken" (not sure how to spell it). It was awesome!

[jlrosen]

It is now a Servatti's

[PG77]

Originally Posted by jlrosen

It is now a Servatti's

Ahhhh...I like Servatti's, too.

[goyguy]

Virginia Bakery was on Ludlow, first block east of Clifton Ave. Their doughnuts, specialty breads, wedding cakes, and dinner rolls kept the place thronged all year. But starting in early December, the line of customers would extend halfway to Skyline and parking within two blocks was a feat. I could swear that the Thies even had a detail cop on duty sometimes, all over their incomparable holiday "schnecken." Goyguy's daily food intake in Heaven will include slices of it washed down with cold milk from a glass bottle. Ha' mercy. Schnecken look like nothing more than a flat, sticky loaf of raisin bread. But they rock my world. One bite and you know your cardiologist will give you a talking to: there's no mistaking the taste of a pastry made with sugar, real butter, and eggs. A sharp or serrated knife's best for carving past the layer - that's right, layer - of glaze that saturates the top and sides.

Cincinnati schnecken devotees went into panic mode when the Thies announced that Virginia Bakery would be closing. But right on the heels of that came the rejoiced-on announcement that the Ludlow premises would stay, for use as a base of operations for "event baking and holiday schnecken." The traffic jams and long lines were back - for a couple more Decembers.

When Mr Thie was asked where the recipe for his one-of-a-kind schnecken was kept, he'd smile and point to his head. It was a closely guarded secret. Then he fell from a ladder in 2006 and was nearly killed. Whether by his own volition or under doctor's orders, that spelled curtains for his business. No more Virginia Bakery schnecken? Forever?!!! Not exactly. For an "undisclosed sum," Busken was allowed to purchase the recipe. So now, when Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat Goyguy is circling the parking lot of the Busken at Madison and Edwards. The store-filling-and-out-the-door mob of customers is there just as it was on Ludlow. Employees jostle through the crowd pushing two-wheeled carts that bear stacks of boxed schnecken to add to the swiftly depleted heaps distributed throughout the store. (Those in the know phone in to reserve their orders.) It brought a big smile to my face when I first saw that not only had Mr Thie sold his cherished recipe, he'd also let Busken buy the rights to the box design! Yup, those gold bricks of sugar and raisins are still layer-wrapped in waxed paper, and placed in a white box with the same red Virginia Bakery logo printed on top, just like in the old Clifton days, right down to the red ribbon strips wrapped diagonally around the box on either side of the logo. What's not to love?

[PG77]

Just reading your post about "schnecken" was like reading a whimsical fairy tale as my mouth salivates. Wonder if they ship them across country?

[Bakery Lover]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Virginia Bakery was on Ludlow, first block east of Clifton Ave. Their doughnuts, specialty breads, wedding cakes, and dinner rolls kept the place thronged all year. But starting in early December, the line of customers would extend halfway to Skyline and parking within two blocks was a feat. I could swear that the Thies even had a detail cop on duty sometimes, all over their incomparable holiday "schnecken." Goyguy's daily food intake in Heaven will include slices of it washed down with cold milk from a glass bottle. Ha' mercy. Schnecken look like nothing more than a flat, sticky loaf of raisin bread. But they rock my world. One bite and you know your cardiologist will give you a talking to: there's no mistaking the taste of a pastry made with sugar, real butter, and eggs. A sharp or serrated knife's best for carving past the layer - that's right, layer - of glaze that saturates the top and sides.

Cincinnati schnecken devotees went into panic mode when the Thies announced that Virginia Bakery would be closing. But right on the heels of that came the rejoiced-on announcement that the Ludlow premises would stay, for use as a base of operations for "event baking and holiday schnecken." The traffic jams and long lines were back - for a couple more Decembers.

When Mr Thie was asked where the recipe for his one-of-a-kind schnecken was kept, he'd smile and point to his head. It was a closely guarded secret. Then he fell from a ladder in 2006 and was nearly killed. Whether by his own volition or under doctor's orders, that spelled curtains for his business. No more Virginia Bakery schnecken? Forever?!!! Not exactly. For an "undisclosed sum," Busken was allowed to purchase the recipe. So now, when Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat Goyguy is circling the parking lot of the Busken at Madison and Edwards. The store-filling-and-out-the-door mob of customers is there just as it was on Ludlow. Employees jostle through the crowd pushing two-wheeled carts that bear stacks of boxed schnecken to add to the swiftly depleted heaps distributed throughout the store. (Those in the know phone in to reserve their orders.) It brought a big smile to my face when I first saw that not only had Mr Thie sold his cherished recipe, he'd also let Busken buy the rights to the box design! Yup, those gold bricks of sugar and raisins are still layer-wrapped in waxed paper, and placed in a white box with the same red Virginia Bakery logo printed on top, just like in the old Clifton days, right down to the red ribbon strips wrapped diagonally around the box on either side of the logo. What's not to love?

Goyguy --
While doing research for a book project, I became aware of your post about the Virginia Bakery's schnecken. I would like to be able to quote some of your descriptions. Please contact me -- at P.O. Box 46844, Cincinnati, OH 45246 -- so that I can obtain permission. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!
Bakery Lover

[Wilson513]

I don't know about Virginia Bakery. It always seems like just another of Bill Gottenbusch's Servatii bakeries to me even before it became one. Nice place to get some fancy cupcakes or a chocolate cake. If it was so wonderful why did it close?

Maybe Virginia Bakery did a good job on their schnecken. But, I can tell you that the best schnecken in Cincinnati now is from Bill Shadeau on Main St. I wouldn't even think of buying anything but coffee and donuts at Buskens.

[Crew Chief]

What a wonderfully DELICIOUS thread!!! (Even though "Schnecken" translates to the German for "snails"...)

[goyguy]

Y'know, that must be because those loaves are baked in a mold with sort-of snail-shaped patterns! Never knew that.

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Y'know, that must be because those loaves are baked in a mold with sort-of snail-shaped patterns! Never knew that.

The lovely Mrs. CC, born and raised in Germany, says that "schnecken" are also baked in Germany and called that, as well. (Don't know why I didn't remember seeing them when we were there...)