Bakery News

Dear Friends—both old and new, At noon on Sunday, June 9, 2024, my family gathered at our homeplace in Clemmons, NC. We posed together for photographs, shared a simple meal, and scattered my grandmother’s ashes in her flower garden, as was her request. Present for the ceremony were her husband, her four children and their spouses, her seven grandchildren and their spouses, and her four great-grandchildren. Present, too, was the homeplace. Since 1842, when Jonathan Fischel, my great-great-great-grandfather, hewed its first timbers, the house has watched as family members were born and raised, married and labored, aged and passed on....

Dear Friends, My name is Jedidiah (Jed) Templin. I am Mrs. Hanes’ oldest grandchild. My entire life has revolved around the cookie business. My mom, Mona, ran the business for 40 years. From the very beginning, I have been a part of the business. I was the first official “Cookie taster.” When I was around 7 years of age I was waiting on customers and putting together Moravian Stars for people. At 8 years of age, I began doing the radio commercials that my mom wrote for me. I must have sounded really cute because people still come into the...

Dear Friends, It is the year 2022 and I am 90 years old! Oh my goodness! How did that happen? I have seen so many changes. Can you imagine growing up with no indoor plumbing? No air conditioning? No telephone? I mentioned in last year’s letter that I am in the process of writing a book about my life. I have kept a diary for over 65 years, so I had a lot of information to use for inspiration. Daughter Mona was going to be my editor, but when the book got to be over 500 pages, she found it...

Dear Friends, What a year!I recall thinking back in early 2020, “Thank goodness this Covid thing is happening now — not during our busy holiday season.” However, we all know how that turned out! It certainly was a challenging year. Like so many other businesses, the only thing we knew to do was “improvise” and simply take it one day at a time. Fortunately, we were able to keep working and never had to lay off any employees. To keep our employees safe, we reorganized our baking and break room areas to accommodate social distancing requirements. We reconfigured our sales...

Hello, Friends—both old and new. I hope this past year for you has been one full of joy and thanksgiving. For myself, the previous 12 months have blessed me with an even greater understanding of the importance of family, friendship, and fellowship. The Problem Was All in My HeadWhen you get to be 87 years old, you’re not surprised by the development of a new physical ailment. You either find treatment for it or learn to live with it (or, let’s be honest, a bit of both).Emotional or mental ailments, on the other hand, can really catch you off guard....