Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries was a brand of breads and assorted pastry products, frozen fish entrees, and prepared dinners formerly owned by General Baking. Established by one of the founders of both Los Angeles' iconic Tam O'Shanter Inn and the Lawry's restaurant chain and seasoned salt empire, it went bankrupt in 1990.

History

Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries was founded in 1915 as a Los Angeles potato chip stand by Theodore J. Van de Kamp, his sisters Marian and Henrietta, and Henrietta's husband Lawrence L. Frank, all recent transplants from

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Wisconsin. The first stand was operated from an eight foot frontage at 236 ½ South Spring Street adjacent to the Saddle Rock Café—the very heart of Los Angeles at the time. They expanded the business to baked goods, and by the mid-1950s had become a regional bakery/restaurant chain. At the company’s height, 320 Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakers dotted the West Coast from California to Washington. In 1930 the company built a large bakery and administrative offices to support its growth in

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. The

Van de Kamp Bakery Building The Van de Kamp Bakery Building was built in 1930 in the Glassell Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It served as the headquarters of the chain of bakeries and coffee shops known for their distinctive windmill architecture. The building was design ...

was designed by New York architect J. Edwin Hopkins. The company's trademark blue windmills featured on their bakery store signs and atop their chain of restaurants that were known throughout the region. The restaurants were designed by Harold Bissner Jr. Its slogan was to capitalize on the association with Dutch cleanliness and freshness: "Made Clean, Kept Clean, Sold Clean". Following the death of Theodore van de Kamp in 1956, the bakery was acquired by General Baking Co. The company was sold to private investors in 1979, and closed in bankruptcy in 1990. Today, there are few remnants of the famous windmills. A former Van de Kamp Holland Dutch bakery in Arcadia, CA was converted to a Denny's restaurant in 1989 and still features a fully restored windmill. Former

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(1975–81) and

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(1983–91), John K. Van de Kamp (D) is a nephew of the baker's co-founders. Under the direction of Lawrence (Larry) Frank, the Frank and Van de Kamp families also founded Lawry's Restaurants and the Tam O'Shanter Inn. Over the years the Van de Kamp brand had been owned by Pillsbury, Pet, Inc., Van De Kamp's, Inc., and later Aurora Foods. Several former employees of the bakery were interviewed, and the original bakery featured, in ''Visiting... with

Huell Howser Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing ''California's Gold'' and his human interest sh ...

'' Episode 802. The Van de Kamp's brand was acquired by Pinnacle Foods, Inc., and then merged with Conagra Brands, which currently owns the rights to the Van de Kamp’s frozen fish and seafood products. The Van de Kamp's brand was also used by

Ralphs Ralphs is an American supermarket Chain stores, chain in Southern California. The largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger, it is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Kroger also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Fo ...

and sister company

Food 4 Less Food 4 Less is the name of several grocery store chains, the largest of which is currently owned by Kroger. It is a no-frills grocery store where the customers bag their own groceries at the checkout. Kroger operates Food 4 Less stores in the ...

supermarket chains for their line of private-label baked goods. Products were discontinued in 2018. In 2023, Kathryn Van de Kamp, the great granddaughter of founder Theodore J. Van de Kamp, secured the trademark to the baked goods and is currently resurrecting original products in Orange County, CA.

Images

Image:Van de Kamp's Bakery Building.jpg The remains of a pancake house peaks above the horizon in Houck, AZ.jpg, The remains of a pancake house originally built as a Van de Kamp bakery in Houck, AZ. Arcadia (50670287481).jpg, The Denny’s in Arcadia, California that was formerly a Van de Kamp’s. Remains of a Van de Kamps in Houck, Arizona.jpg, Remains of a Van de Kamps in Houck, Arizona

References

{{reflist Bakeries of California Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1990 Defunct restaurants in Los Angeles Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles Kroger

History

See also

Images

References