Cutting the ribbon on Duchess Bakery , from left , Auston , Lynlee , Jordan , Olivia , Jason and Stephanie Neal ; Thomas , Roger and Emily Rich . Not pictured is Laura Beth Rich .
Merchandise : Premium coffee and the famous Duchess Bakery coffee mug .
Bontrager owned the popular donut shop for the past 43 years . The bakery first opened in its location on 1st Avenue SE in 1939 . “ This bakery has a lot of sentimental value to me ,” said Bontrager . “ But sometimes you just have to let it go when you know that it is going into great hands .” People regularly line up early outside the bakery to get the famous donuts , and on Bontrager ’ s last day the line was especially long as people came to get a last taste of the donuts that had made the bakery a local legend . Among them was Jason Neal , who got in line at 6:30 a . m . to buy donuts for his family .
Neal said when he got inside to place his order , he told Bontrager on an impulse that he was interested in buying the bakery . “ Larry told me to put my name on the back of the business card and drop it in a bowl with 50 or more names ,” said Neal . Neal said that when they were chosen as part of the top contenders , he approached his good friend and business associate Roger Rich about becoming a partner . “ After it was all said and done , we knew that we were not only buying a bakery and their famous donut recipe , but also found ourselves the proud owners of a Cullman institution .”
At the beginning of the transition , Bontrager stayed on board to train the new management and employees . “ I ’ m still excited about the future of the bakery ,” said Bontrager . “ I really do think we have found great partners in the Neal and Rich families . They ’ ve already shown they bring experience in the food and service industry as well as being local and passionate about our community .” The Neals and Roger Rich echoed the same thought that Duchess has been a mainstay in the city for generations . “ We were honored and thrilled to be trusted to continue the legacy Larry and his family started in our community
26 | WINTER 2021 CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE