Charles Entenmann, who helped bring baked goods to supermarkets, dies at 92
Charles E. Hill
2 min read
Charles Edward “Charlie” Entenmann, who helped expand the family bakery in Long Island, New York, from a local delivery service to a household name, died last month. He was 92 years old.
A obituary said Entenmann died “peacefully” on February 24 in Florida, where he lived, surrounded by his surviving children.
Entenmann’s, now a supermarket staple, was opened by Charlie Entenmann’s grandfather, William, in Brooklyn in 1898, according to the company. website.
William, an immigrant from Germany, delivered his baked goods to homes in a horse-drawn wagon.
The family, in 1900, moved the bakery to Bay Shore, Long Island, after William’s son fell ill and needed medical attention there. The bakery kept the same delivery format and was loved by families like the Morgans and the Vanderbilts.
When his father died in 1951, Charlie, his mother and two brothers decided to start supplying their baked goods to supermarkets. Their packaging introduced see-through wrappers, luring customers for decades toward mini chocolate chip cookies, crumbly coffee cakes, and those classic chocolate glazed donuts.
Entenmann’s built a bakery facility on five acres in Bay Shore, which would later expand to 14 acres. The business was sold in 1978 and has changed hands several times since. It is now owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA.
Charlie Entenmann, who served in the military, gave generously to Long Island.
He supported the Great South Bay YMCA in Bay Shore, funded research to improve water quality and habitats in the Great South Bay, and together with his brothers endowed the Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, establishing the Entenmann Family Cardiac Center.
Entenmann “was the definition of kindness, compassion, humility and strength,” said Anne Brigis, president and CEO of the YMCA of Long Island.
“He never wanted the accolades, the publicity and the recognition for his great philanthropy,” Brigis said. “The Bay Shore and Long Island community has lost one of our greatest champions and silent heroes.”
After Entenmann’s retirement, “his passion for advancing an unlimited source of energy led to the development of a self-contained power cell at his Biosearch, LLC research laboratory,” according to his obituary. He also started Biolife LLC, a company that makes health care products to stop bleeding.
“Nobody knows how he got so smart. He never went to school,” Entenmann’s son Charles W. Entenmann said. press day. “I don’t think he ever forgot what he read.”
The son also revealed a little-known fact: his dad didn’t have a sweet tooth.
“I’m going to tell you something that’s been pretty much a secret, most of my life anyway,” the son said. “He didn’t eat Entenmann’s cake… He just wasn’t a dessert guy.”
Entenmann is survived by two children, seven grandchildren and a “plethora” of great-grandchildren, according to his obituary. He was buried last week in Bay Shore.
