A Lifetime, A Legacy: Herb Kuttler

Herb Kuttler at a family wedding …

… and posing with his wife Mariann.

When Herbert Adolph Kuttler passed away at age 89 in January, he left behind a legacy highlighted by his Christian faith, solid work ethics, and endless devotion to his wife, nine children, and 21 grandchildren (who lovingly called him “Pop Pop”).

Mr. Kuttler was also a music lover, a skilled card player (especially when it came to pinochle and poker), a man with a keen eye for picking long shots at the horse races – and, perhaps most importantly to his countless customers at Maryanne Pastry Shoppe, a master baker.

Born in December 1936 amid the Great Depression, Mr. Kuttler was raised on the corner of Chelten Avenue and Boyer Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

After his parents, Elsie and Adolph Kuttler, immigrated from Germany and he was born in the United States, in 1944 they opened a bakery on the first floor of their Germantown home and called it Maryanne Pastry Shoppe.

Mr. Kuttler’s parents chose the name “Maryanne” for their bakery not because they had a beloved relative with that name or their favorite movie star was named Maryanne. Rather, the name was chosen simply because there were well-established businesses in Germantown that were already using the name Maryanne, so the Kuttlers decided it would be a good name for their business as well.

Herb and Mariann Kuttler with their children and sons- and daughters-in-law.

Herb and Mariann Kuttler with their grandchildren.

As Mr. Kuttler grew, he spent many days assisting his parents in their bakery, and even though he was very athletic, he always turned down requests to join his school’s sports teams simply because his parents needed his help running their business.

As a teenager, Mr. Kuttler made a guest appearance as a harmonica player on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which displayed his great love for music. And after graduating from Germantown High School, he was stationed in Alaska while serving in the U.S. Army before fine-tuning his culinary skills at The Baking Institute of Chicago.

During the summer of 1959, Mr. Kuttler and his friends rented what is believed to be the first “summer group rental” in Sea Isle City in a house on the northeast corner of 46th Street and Landis Avenue, just one block from a summer home owned by the Keenan family.

As the summer was getting underway, Mr. Kuttler met his future wife, Mariann Keenan, as she and a friend were walking past his summer rental. Following an eight-year courtship, the two married in December 1967 at St. William Church in Northeast Philadelphia, where Mariann’s family were members.

In 1969, the Kuttlers began operating their pastry shop on 44th Street in Sea Isle City. The now well-established bakery was previously owned and operated by Lonnie Peterson, who called his business Joy Ann Bakery. However, when Peterson was no longer able to run his bakery himself, he rented the space to the Kuttlers, who eventually purchased it outright. Today, Maryanne Pastry Shoppe, which is still in the Kuttler family, is among Sea Isle City’s most beloved businesses.

After marrying, the Kuttlers initially settled (during the offseason) in Jenkintown, Pa.; and in 1975 they moved to Doylestown, Pa., where they later would open an additional Maryanne Pastry Shoppe. Doylestown is also where they raised their nine children: Marci, Chris, Suzanne, Beth, Caroline, Mariann, Kate, Matt, and Brian.

Herb Kuttler as a young boy ...

... in his bakery on 44th Street ...

... and at the beach.

Even though they spent the winter months in Pennsylvania, their main focus during the summer season was spending time in Sea Isle City operating their cherished bakery.

Mr. Kuttler and Mariann initially spent their summers together living at the Keenan house (which was first owned by Mariann’s aunts, and remains in the Keenan family to this day). Then, in 1979, the Kuttlers purchased their own summer house on 45th Street, conveniently located behind Maryanne Pastry Shoppe, allowing Mr. Kuttler and his family to walk from their backyard directly onto the bakery’s property.

Through the years, the Kuttlers worked tirelessly to ensure their bakery’s success – and, according to Mariann, they always “trusted in divine inspiration,” which was at the forefront of their marriage.

Along the way, the Kuttlers would make many lifelong friends, some of whom began as employees in their bakery. Tom Hillegass was one of those friends.

Hillegass was only 10 years old when he asked Mr. Kuttler for a job at Maryanne Pastry Shoppe. By the time he was 13, he was helping prepare dough and performing other bakery duties at Mr. Kuttler’s side. Even though Tom was 24 years Mr. Kuttler’s junior, the two become very close and remained lifelong friends.

“Herb was like a father, the brother I never had, and a best friend to me,” says Hillegass, who is now an attorney. “He was extremely patient – he wouldn’t get mad, no matter what the situation. Also, when he met you, he would always remember you and make you feel that you were important. People like Herbie don’t come around that often.”

He adds: “Herb worked very hard, seven days a week. Afterwards, he would go home, take a break, and maybe take a quick swim in the ocean, and then he would go back to work in the bakery. The greatest job I ever had was working in the bakery with Herb – even to this day.”

According to Hillegass, a solid work ethic and enviable baking skills were just two of Mr. Kuttler’s qualities.

“Herb was a unique individual, and he could hit a softball a country mile,” he says. “Family was the most important thing to him, and if I am half the man that he was, then I am doing OK, because he was very important in many people’s lives.”

John Swanick is another former employee and close friend who also remembers Mr. Kuttler fondly. Like Hillegass, Swanick began working in the bakery as a young boy, washing pots and pans, and over the next 10 years his bakery duties expanded. Ultimately many of Swanick’s relatives would also work at Maryanne Pastry Shoppe – including his children and his father.

Swanick recalls that on one memorable evening, while he and his friends were enjoying Sea Isle City’s nightlife, he lost track of the time and didn’t arrive at the bakery on schedule. Because Mr. Kuttler ran an efficient business and relied heavily on his employees to help operations run smoothly, he phoned Swanick’s house at 3am to see if his young employee was still coming to work, waking Swanick’s father from a sound sleep. Later that morning, when Swanick finally arrived at the bakery, he found his father wearing an apron, working in his place.

“After that, my dad was an employee at Maryanne’s too – and he also loved working there,” says Swanick, who feels that the hard work that Mr. Kuttler continually displayed served as a valuable life lesson for both him and his children. “Working at Maryanne Pastry Shoppe taught you about family and work ethics.

“The bakery was more than just a bakery, it was a really special place ... like a Sea Isle City family gathering center that also sold donuts. It seemed that everybody in town either worked or shopped at Maryanne’s, and they celebrated their family events by purchasing cakes, pies and cupcakes – and when customers waited in line, it gave them the opportunity to share stories, catch up with neighbors, learn who got married, who had babies, and whatever else had been happening.”

Swanick also recognized that being located directly across the street from St. Joseph Church often added to the large number of people standing in line at the bakery – especially on Sunday mornings.

“During Mass, Father Carey used to tell everyone not to leave until the final blessing was given, because he knew people would rush out early to get in line at Maryanne’s,” Swanick recalls with a chuckle.

Like Hillegass, Swanick also remembers Mr. Kuttler as man who always remained calm and even-tempered.

“Herb always used to sing, and I don’t think his blood pressure ever rose at any moment, no matter what happened,” Swanick says. “One day, I accidentally mixed up the sugar and salt bins, and salt went into the cinnamon-twist donuts instead of sugar. Herb just kept on humming and singing. Nothing got him upset. He would just say, “Ach du lieber” (“Oh dear” in German).

In addition to offering a pleasant work environment for employees, Maryanne Pastry Shoppe also gave Mr. Kuttler and Mariann plenty of opportunity to spend time with their children and grandchildren, each of whom worked (or are still employed) at the bakery.

“One of the most precious memories we have as kids was the individual time spent with our dad at the bakery,” says Marci Schankweiler, the Kuttlers’ oldest child. “We all had different jobs and went through different stages working with him ... It could have been the midnight shift filling donuts, or the afternoon shift prepping dough. It was a family affair with all of us working together …

“A lot of our family time was spent at the bakery and afterwards enjoying outdoor activities,” she adds, recalling that her father loved to play basketball and softball. “He did like to dip in the ocean, but sitting on the beach was not his favorite – he would rather sit on our front porch, where he enjoyed talking with family, friends and neighbors.”

Her siblings also have many happy memories of their father, using words to describe him such as patient, peaceful, hardworking, tough, happy, genuine, steadfast, dependable, humble, athletic, ever-present, never putting emphasis on himself, and always finding joy in simple things. Moreover, hearing Mr. Kuttler “belting out the oldies at 6am while working” was not an uncommon experience for his children, nor was “walking up to the beach while the dough was rising to watch the sunset.”

In addition to working together in the bakery, the Kuttler family also enjoyed many happy meals around their home’s large dining table, playing basketball in the driveway and football in the backyard, delighting in wonderful breakfasts featuring Mr. Kuttler’s homemade pancakes, playing chess and other table-top games, and attending school events as a family.

Because Mr. Kuttler always supported his children’s and grandchildren’s endeavors, when Marci told her parents that she was founding a cancer foundation in honor of her late husband, Pete, Mr. Kuttler didn’t hesitate to offer his support financially, with his time, and donating large amounts of baked goods for fundraising events. To date, the For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation has allowed thousands of families facing cancer to enjoy respite experiences together, effectively strengthening their bonds and making happy memories during very difficult circumstances.

Moreover, Mr. Kuttler’s belief in “giving back” is still on display each summer, when Maryanne Pastry Shoppe hosts a “Cornhole for Cancer” fundraiser at Sea Isle’s Excursion Park, benefiting For Pete’s Sake. This year’s Cornhole for Cancer event was held July 10.

When looking back at Mr. Kuttler’s life, which was celebrated in January with two well-attended visitation sessions and a funeral mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church in Doylestown, the old German expression “Niemals den Kuchen vor dem Anschnitt loben” seems to apply. Literally translated, this phrase means “Never praise the cake before the cut” (in other words, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch”).

Knowing that an appreciation for hard work and patience were virtues that Mr. Kuttler readily possessed, it’s safe to say that not only did his pastries (and his life) bring joy to others, they both “made the cut” and were worthy of praise.