Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ

Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ
The bakery in January 2024
Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ is located in California
Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ
Location within California
Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ is located in the United States
Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ
Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ (the United States)
Restaurant information
Established1903
Owner(s)Schat family[1]
Food typeBread and pastries
Street address763 N Main St, Bishop, CA 93514
Coordinates37°22′07″N 118°23′44″W / 37.3686°N 118.3956°W / 37.3686; -118.3956
Websiteschatsbakery.com

Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ, also formatted as Erick Schat's Bakery, is a bakery in Bishop, California. It is known for its extensive bread production and its status as a pit stop to travelers along US 395 in the Eastern Sierra region.[2][3] In 2021, it received 2.5 million visitors.[4]

History

The original bakery was started by the Schoch family from Vienna in 1903. Basque sheepherders had the Schochs build a stone oven to bake their sheepherder bread and keep it fresh while they were out tending their flocks. Jacob "Jack" Schat, immigrated to the U.S. from Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1950, subsequently finding work at the Schoch's bakery in Bishop.[5] Baking in his family went as far back as 1893.[6] He eventually bought the bakery and had six children, including Erick, the shop's namesake and owner until he died in 2021.[7] The bakery became more well-known when the family sold wholesale goods to 2,000 grocery stores in Greater Los Angeles, including Safeway, Vons, and Albertsons.[1]

The family expanded their operations by opening David Schat's Bakery Cafe and Aaron Schat's Roadhouse in October 2011 in El Segundo and August 2014 in Bishop, respectively. The bakery cafe is more of a small version of the original, and closed in December 2012, after only a year of service due to a lack of customers.[8] The roadhouse serves various sandwiches on bread from the bakery and is still open as of 2024.[1][3][9] There are also locations in Carson City, Utah, and Ontario. All of the bakeries under the Schat "brand" are not part of a franchise; they are only owned by members of the same family.[10]

Sheepherder bread

One of the bakery's main trademarks is its sheepherder bread. The bread was introduced to the Owens Valley during California Gold Rush by Basque immigrants in 1907 who missed their home country's bread.[11] They hand-shaped the loaves and used stone ovens when producing it. This practice is continued by the bakery when making their bread. It is made from "butter, grade AA eggs, unbleached flour, cane sugar, and artesian well water." It was trademarked in 1938.[12]

Other items

The bakery also sells many other varieties of bread and pastries, including squaw, cinnamon pull-apart brioches, turnovers, éclairs, sourdough, oliebol, macarons, plain cheese, and chili-cheese.[9][13][14]

Sheepherder bread on racks in the bakery

References

  1. ^ a b c Agostoni, Kristin (October 9, 2011). "Legendary baker family comes to El Segundo". Daily Breeze. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Reynolds, Christopher (July 1, 2022). "Winter in Mammoth is great, but summer is when it shines". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Erskine, Chris (August 20, 2014). "In Bishop, Calif., a new Schat's opens up the dining options". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "A Local Legend Passes Away: Erick Schat was 79 • Eastern Sierra Now". Eastern Sierra Now. October 4, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Murphy, Deb (October 4, 2021). "Local Business Icon Erick Schat Has Passed Away - Sierra Wave". Sierra Wave. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Young, Gary (October 5, 2021). "Bishop Bakery Patriarch Erick Schat Dies at 79". KBOV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "Erick Schat Obituary (1942 - 2021) - Bishop, CA - Inyo Register". Legacy.com. October 14, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Agostoni, Kristin (December 22, 2012). "Schat's Bakery Cafe closure adds to key retail vacancies in downtown El Segundo". Daily Breeze. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Shindler, Merrill (July 26, 2012). "Merrill Shindler: Beloved Schat's Bakery branches out". Daily Breeze. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Gardner, Jenny (February 16, 2012). "Schat's Bakery Comes to Southern California". Pepperdine Graphic. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ Review". Fodor's. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Official website". Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Grant, Kris (July 18, 2022). "On The Road Again ... Traveling 395 through the Eastern Sierras". Coronado Eagle & Journal. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Martinez, Jake. "Crossroads: Erick Schat's Bakkery". RV.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
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