Storefront of the Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery in Homestead. Photo credit: Tyler Polk, Point Park News Service.
Nancy Mantsch married into the bakery business.
She fell in love after World War II with her husband, Elmer, the youngest of three brothers who all owned their own bakery shops.
The older brothers have closed their shops in recent years, and Elmer died in 2011. Mantsch now runs the Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery on Homestead’s 8th Avenue with her children and grandchildren.
Customers come from throughout the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh’s North Hills for sweets. Occasionally they will even get visitors from Florida.
“We used to advertise, but we don’t bother anymore,” says daughter Kathy Mantsch, a baker at the store. “It’s all word of mouth.”
A tray of Halloween Cookies in the back area of the Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery in Homestead, Pa. Photo credit: Tyler Polk, Point Park News Service.
The Mantsch family has been serving pastries in Homestead since the 1920s, when they opened a corner store on Sarah Street and 13th Avenue.
“There was nine children in the family, and they all were bakers,” Nancy Mantsch says. “The girls helped in the shop and the boys delivered the bread.”
The family remained in business at that location until the sons were drafted into the service during World War II.
When they came back home, John Mantsch, the oldest brother, went to work at a bakery in Donora. Over time, he came to own the bakery and worked there into his 80s when he retired and closed the shop.
Lisa Evans a Clerk at Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery tending to a customer’s order. Photo credit: Tyler Polk, Point Park News Service.
Gus Mantsch, the second oldest, bought a bakery in Brookline in the late 1940s from the Fauth family, who called their store Blue Bonnet Bakery. He worked there into his 70s and sold the shop when he retired.
Elmer Mantsch worked in the Brookline bakery with his brother, and that’s where he met Nancy. After getting married, they decided to open their own bakery and move back to Homestead.
“You need to have a good product, and you need to have a good customer base, when you’ve been in business for 62 years,” Nancy Mantsch says.
“I like the cinnamon rolls, pretzel doughnuts — and their pies are amazing, too,” says Anthony Cutone of Munhall.
“They know me well, when I walk in there, they remember who I am, and they pretty much know what I’m going to order when I walk in,” says Wendy Nichols of Bloomfield.
Peggy Fait and Sharon Bayti, clerks at Mantsch Blue Bonnet, moving their sweets around in the glass. Photo credit: Tyler Polk, Point Park News Service.
Nancy Mantsch and her children say they believe the reason people keep coming back is because of their products, and because they have friendly people who create a good experience for customers.
“I’ve been working here for 20 years, and I love the customers and the people I work with, and it’s like a family here,” says bakery employee Lisa Evans.
Mantsch Blue Bonnet is a traditional sugar bakery. They serve goods like bread, rolls, cakes, donuts, cupcakes, brownies, pies, and much more, all made from scratch. They make everything on site, using their own icings, cake mixes and bread mixes. The most popular items are the doughnuts and cake, Nancy Mantsch says.
They make some items corresponding to the seasons. For example, they specialize in peanut brittle and pumpkin cake in the fall. When winter comes, they make nut rolls.
“We also cater to traditions,” Nancy Mantsch says. “Homestead is a very ethnic neighborhood. We make Polish and Slavic baked goods like Paska bread. A few years ago, a Polish woman came in and showed us how they make recipes. We put it out to the public, and they liked it.”
The greatest achievement, she says, is that the bakery remains around and thriving after 62 years on 8th Avenue.
“Not too many people can say that, you know,” she says. “Yes, we have gotten help from others. All my children come back from out of town to help and they bring their children in to help. I don’t know if we could have done it without family.”
First Published in the Point Park News Service as: Brothers’ bakery legacy continues to thrive