Beloved New Baden bakery has a new owner and name, but recipes will be the same
The longtime New Baden bakery that closed in November has a new owner and a new name.
Berkemann’s Baker’s Dozen will now be known as the Worn Whisk Bakery, owned by New Baden native Kristen Rogers.
Rogers said the closing date for the sale of the business is scheduled for March 3.
The opening date is not set, but Rogers said she’s looking to be open by the end of March.
“I don’t want to rush it, but I know people are waiting,” she said.
Ownership of the bakery will consist of the property, the equipment and the recipes.
When the bakery opens, the goodies that folks in the community already know and love will continue to be offered and include doughnuts, pastries, specialty cakes, cookies, pizza dough, breads, garlic bread and bagels.
And yes, the cream horns.
“I do have recipes of my own that I’m gonna eventually use,” said Rogers.
But first things first:
First-time business owner but not new to this business
“I have not run a business before,” Rogers said.
She’s in good hands, however, because she will learn the ins and outs of the business from previous owner Paul Berkemann.
Not only will Berkemann stay on to help her settle in with the day-to-day operations of the business, he will remain as a baker.
When Berkemann decided to sell his business, he previously said that if the new owner kept the business running as a bakery, he’d like to keep working there. When they spoke about Rogers taking over, she asked Berkemann, “You come with the bakery, right?”
“Yes, I do,” he replied.
The upcoming transition will not be the first time they work together. Rogers, a 2011 graduate of Wesclin Senior High School, worked at Berkemann’s during college. As a store clerk, her duties included making cakes and decorating cookies.
“It’s definitely come full circle,” she said.
As she learns to run the business, Rogers also wants to reestablish the relationships with other area businesses that were previously supplied with the bakery’s goods.
Some of those businesses are already calling, and Rogers hopes to add more over time.
Berkemann said there’s relief in finding “someone that will take over and continue where I left off.”
“It’ll be fun working with her again,” he said.
Coming home to a welcoming community
At the time of the interview, Rogers was still in Virginia, where she and her family reside. She, along with her two children, returns to New Baden this week.
Her husband, Stephen, is in the Air Force and will remain in Virginia. They hope he will receive new orders that will bring him to Scott Air Force Base. For now, she said, they’re going to make it work.
Rogers publicly shared the news of her taking over the bakery on social media. She read every comment (about 800 of them) on her post.
“Thanks to everyone that’s been so welcoming and kind,” she said.
“I knew it was gonna be big. I just didn’t know it would be this big.”
About the bakery
A bakery was first established at 115 W. Hanover St. in New Baden in 1903 by Ferdinand Reiss.
William Hill took ownership of the business around 1939, according to the historical document, “New Baden Centennial: 1855-1955.” He owned and operated Hill’s Bakery until 1965, when Jeanine, his daughter, and P.J. Wangler took over the business.
Berkemann’s Baker’s Dozen was established in 2000 when Berkemann bought the bakery from the Wanglers. Hill’s Bakery was Berkemann’s first bakery job.
The Worn Whisk Bakery is slated to open in March. For updates, info and job opportunities, visit the bakery’s Facebook page.
