Lyndora National Baking Company to reopen Saturday under new ownership
BUTLER TWP — Kiffle lovers can rejoice as Mars native and lifelong baker Tanner Matko brings back a community staple as he opens the doors Saturday, March 23, to the former Lyndora National Baking Company at 8 Chesapeake St.
Matko, 23, said he will be reintroducing customer favorites from the past, while also serving up new items of his own creation when he opens at 6 a.m. for his first day of business.
“Every single person who has stopped by said that they missed the Lyndora bakery,” Matko said. “I have had such great feedback already on social media. It's exciting to see how this will affect the community.”
The business has officially been rebranded as Tanner's Bakehouse at Lyndora National Baking Company, Matko said.
“We will have a lot of breads and pastries for sale,” Matko said of the grand opening. “I have had a bunch of people call already for preorders.”
Matko said the kiffles, which are traditional Hungarian cream cheese pastry cookies, will be making a comeback, with or without poppy seeds, along with Lyndora’s cinnamon rolls and breads.
“For opening day we will have Italian and seeded rye,” Matko said. “Further down the line we will incorporate more of the original recipes.”
Starting out he will introduce his own recipes of muffins, scones, cookies and cupcakes.
The young business owner formally worked at Bloom Cafe in Valencia as a general manager, he said.
“Being a general manager got me experience of managing people,” Matko said. “I also did all the pricing. It was helpful to see that first hand and get used to it and have that knowledge in order to open my own doors.”
Ever since he was a boy, Matko said he wanted to do something with baking, after the passion was instilled in him by his grandmother.
Matko said he officially took over the bakery Dec. 12, after Debbie and George Bristen decided to retire and sell the business and its recipes.
The biggest change Matko said locals will notice is the storefront. He took down two walls in order to make a more spacious area for customers.
At the moment, Matko is running the business along with the help of his family, but he is hopeful it will grow.
“My family has given me great support,” Matko said. “They are going to help me to start, but hopefully we do well enough where I can start hiring staff.
“But to start, it's going to be a one-man show.”
Following the grand opening, the business’s weekly hours will be from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Preorders are available by calling 724-256-5695.
