A well-known kosher bakery owner has announced his plans to retire and sell the business.

Grodzinski's, founded in 1888, has been bought out by Edgware’s Yossi Bakers.

It was first opened by Harris and Judith Grodzinski after they immigrated to London’s then thriving East End Jewish community from the shtetl of Varanova located in current-day Belarus.

Harris came from a long line of bakers – he traced his ancestry back to Aharon Grodzienczyk born around 1740 in the same village.

Regarding his retirement plans, the longtime bakery boss said he was looking forward to “some more learning,” as he prepares to undertake a librarianship at Ner Yisrael shul in Hendon.

He also said he was looking forward to “rambling, more holidays, and spending more time with his children and grandchildren without the threat of the phone ringing,” not to mention “falling in love with my wife all over again.”

Jonathan with wife Rozi, kitted out for Purim

Jonathan with wife Rozi, kitted out for Purim

He also said he was interested in the possibility of publishing a history of his family and their bakery, along with “sharing business knowledge and techniques with anyone who would like it.”

"To be in retail you now have to specialise, you have to offer as personal a service as possible. Gone are the days of 'You can have what I choose to make' instead you have to use your ears and listen to customers' wants."

He also reflected upon the changing preferences and behaviors of customers in recent years, stating: “Customers have become more demanding, in a good way, hence ranges of sugar-free and gluten-free products.

“Many changes have also been brought about by travel, and many customers will ask things like: ‘I saw this when I was in a bakery in Israel / US / France – can you make it as well?’”

“Tastes have also changed enormously. We used to sell Rye bread, Plava cake, and Yeast cake with Streusel, but only the older generation remember such things.

Regarding his business' long legacy, Mr Grodzinski described feeling, “Enormously humbled by the efforts, tenacity, and achievements of the previous generations of bakers” which included his father Harry.

When quizzed over what daily ritual he would most miss from his bakery work, he answered unequivocally: “Being able to pick something from the shop and not pay for it!”

Their products have expanded far beyond Harris and Judith’s original bilkelekh, to sell falafel and sushi along with other baked goods.

In the two decades following the Second World War, Grodzinski became the largest Jewish bakery in Europe. Each week, twenty tons of flour was transformed into bread, rolls, cakes, biscuits, and patisserie, and freshly delivered twice daily to 24 branch shops around London.

Each Pesach, 40,000 boxes of handmade cakes and biscuits were sold to Jewish communities throughout the UK.

Jonathan Grodzinski with some of his bakery

Jonathan Grodzinski with some of his bakery's Chanukah delights.

Local customer Stephen Hoffman told the JC: "My Dad and I used to love going to Grods in Edgware, with all its mouthwatering patisseries and bagels.

"The start of the weekend for me was signified after my Dad brought home bagels and Challah from Grods and I know this was the same for many.

"This bakery has been at the heart of the Jewish community for years and I would be sad to see it closing its doors," he went on.

The fourth generation joined the business during the 60s and 70s Emmanuel, David, Joni, Daniel, and Monica took over the reins and modernised.

In 1991 following a financial restructuring, baking was transferred out of the central bakery into the shops, in an attempt to fight off the competition from Israeli bakers making hot bread, chollas, and beigels in front of their customers.

In 1991 a financial restructuring in light of rising competition led to the baking being transferred from the central bakery into the shops.

Daniel and his Canadian-born wife Rhona moved to Toronto in 1997 and established Grodzinski bakeries in the New World.

Monica sold her Golders Green shop in 2004, and Jonathan invested heavily and modernised and expanded his Stamford Hill and Edgware bakeries, now called “J Grodzinski and Daughters”.

After spending some years running Edgware and developing the Grodz website, Tova now runs “Pix-Bix” a picture-biscuit business in Ra'anana, In 2019 Stamford Hill was sold, but continued to trade as “Grodzinski”.

In the last couple of years, Golders Green was re-acquired and following a massive rebuild and refit reopened as a “Grodz” shop last year.

Jonathan and Rozi’s daughter Debbie Paster showed her marketing skills there and the turnover grew substantially.

Now, only Daniel is left to continue the Grodzinski traditions stretching back to Aharon.