Leidenheimer Baking Company facts for kids
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Leidenheimer building in New Orleans' Central City neighborhood
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| Bakery | |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Founder | George Leidenheimer |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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The Leidenheimer Baking Company is a famous bakery located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It has been making bread for a very long time. The company was started in 1896 by George Leidenheimer. He was an immigrant from Germany.
The bakery first opened on Dryades Street. In 1904, it moved to Simon Bolivar Avenue. This is where it still operates today. Leidenheimer is known for making the best po'boy bread in the city. Po'boys are popular sandwiches in New Orleans.
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History of Leidenheimer Bakery
How the Bakery Started
George Leidenheimer began his bakery in 1896. He came from a town called Deidesheim in Germany. His goal was to create delicious bread for the people of New Orleans. The bakery quickly became a local favorite.
Growing the Business
Over the years, Leidenheimer Baking Company grew. They became very good at making bread for po'boy sandwiches. This type of bread is special and important in New Orleans. The bakery even bought out some of its biggest rivals. In the early 1990s, they bought Reising's Sunrise. They still make products under the Reising name. Later, in the 2000s, they also bought Angelo Gendusa.
Facing Challenges: Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. This powerful storm caused a lot of damage. The Leidenheimer bakery had to close for a short time. While their New Orleans bakery was closed, they made their bread in Chicago. This helped them keep their business going. After the storm, they reopened in New Orleans.
Making Muffuletta Bread
Leidenheimer also started making bread for another famous New Orleans sandwich. This is the muffuletta sandwich. The bread for this sandwich is round and has seeds on top. They began supplying this bread to Central Grocery in New Orleans. Central Grocery is a very well-known place for muffulettas.
Celebrating 100 Years
In 1996, Leidenheimer Baking Company turned 100 years old. To celebrate this big milestone, they added special artwork to their delivery trucks. The artwork was created by an artist named Bunny Matthews. His cartoons featured characters from the "Nint' Ward" of New Orleans. This showed how much the bakery is a part of the city's history and culture.
