After being passed down through the Kern family, the Landing Bakery in Glen Cove celebrates 65 years of business this year.
Henry and Mary Kern opened the business in 1959, and it is currently owned and operated by their son, Kevin, who was just a year old when the bakery opened.
“I’ve always worked here since I was 10 years old,” Kevin Kern said.
The Landing Bakery specializes in Polish baked goods, Kern said. He said the hard rolls and rye breads are the staples of the shop.
Kern said his parents found the property through a friend of the family and decided to start a business together. The building is from the late 1800s and the original oven is still in the kitchen, he said.
“My mother saw a vision here,” Kern said.
His father was in charge of the baking while his mother ran the storefront, he said.
“It was nothing but a hole in the wall then,” Kern said. “They built it up.”
Kern’s mother died about 10 years after the bakery opened, Kern said. His father continued to run the business, and he began to help in the shop.
“I stayed by my father’s side all those years, and worked all those years with him,” Kern said.
The bakery is located at 147 Landing Road and is open from Tuesday through Sunday.
Kern said the bakery’s hard rolls and rye bread are the “best on Long Island.”
The city of Glen Cove presented a citation to Kern for his dedication to the community at the Dec. 10 council meeting.
“Kevin’s dedication to his craft and the community has made the bakery a true local institution,” said Mayor Pam Panzenbeck.
Panzenbeck said she worked at Landing Bakery as a teenager, when Kern’s parents owned the bakery. She said Kern has continued his family’s commitment to top quality.
“We honor his role in keeping the family tradition alive for generations to enjoy,” Panzenbeck said.
“You’re a wonderful part of our community,” she said.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to live or have a business,” Kern said at the meeting.
