72-year-old mom-and-pop bakery in St. Louis County wins national makeover contest

KSDK -- The Pillsbury Doughboy may have attracted people initially to Lubeley's Bakery and Deli on Watson, but it's what they bake that keeps customers coming back.

Lynn Wright has been a customer for 8 years. She said, "I love the strudels and I love the white chocolate cake." 15-year-old Greg Wolak said, "The doughnuts, chocolate Long Johns."

And there's a signature Dobash torte, a 6 layer yellow cake with 5 layers of semi-sweet chocolate filling covered with buttercream icing.

Bonnie Nagel, a customer of 12 years said, "It's a goldmine. It's just very good. People are wonderful, provide great service. If you need something special they are very accommodating."

After 72 years in business, the bakery now has a more modern look after winning the first annual "Pillsbury Bakery Makeover" contest. There were about 150 entries nationwide.

Chip Levers, a region manager with General Mills said, "I think the quality of their essay and the history that was involved. They were very creative with what they wanted to do so we decided to reward the creativity."

With a $5,000 check, the makeover included a new expanded dining area, new fixtures and newly painted walls that used to be mostly pink.

Mr. Ed Lubeley, who passed away in '93, originally wanted to become a doctor. But because it was the Depression, he couldn't afford to go to medical school, so he ended up working at a bakery where he met his wife-to-be.

Reporter asked Mrs. Helen Lubeley, "Did you know anything about baking?" Mrs. Lubeley answered, "No and I didn't want to learn either."

But Mrs. Lubeley and her bakery are still standing after moving 4 other times before ending up in the village of Marlborough. She said, "There was about 600 bakeries in the city and county. As of today, there's less than 10."

Susan Suardi is the youngest of Lubeley's four children. She said, "It's hard work. It's very labor intense and people want convenience. But they're finding quality good products are still very important to them."

So mothers who remembered getting Lubeley's birthday cakes growing up are now bringing in their children to continue the tradition.

And it's not just the bakery, there's also a deli. Carole Johnson was a first time customer at the bakery. She who drove about 40 minutes from Pacific and said, "They said they make the chicken salad homemade so I'm buying that to put on the little bread for a Superbowl party."

And if you're still looking for superbowl themed cookies, Lubeley's will be baking more on Sunday.

Another mom-and-pop bakery in Duluth, Minnesota also won the grand prize in the same makeover contest.