Every once in a while our travels take us to a throw-back to the America of yore. We found just that at Underbrinks Bakery in Quincy. Regular customers mingle with tourists in long lines for danish and the verbal abuse that owner Leroy Rossmiller dishes out daily.
WATCH: It's all in good fun (or is it?) Get verbally abused by the Nutroll Nazi!
Underbrinks is a trip back to a simpler time when baked goods were made with care, by hand, from scratch and with really cool vintage equipment. Since opening as a traditional German bakery in 1929, this little shop near Quincy University has been doing just that.
In 1990 Mr. Rossmiller took over with a commitment to maintain the old-fashioned ways. He showed us all of the inner workings while delivering a running commentary popping fresh with humor and sarcasm. In a nod to Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi," he calls himself The Nut Roll Nazi.
In the customer area, with its display cases that were well-worn by the time we were born, there are hulking antique Hobart mixers, campy trinkets and nic-nacs, and autographed pictures of stars -- even a president, all with a slight dusting of flour.
Through the back of the shop we entered the kitchen, where all of the magic happens. Every surface was covered with dough, before or after baking.
There were sweet rolls being formed, cookies getting decorated, and cakes being iced. Huge bags of flour, hundreds of eggs, and giant boxes of shortening stood at the ready.
There are no shortcuts, Leroy explained, the dough must be prepared two days ahead of time in order to bake his famous nut rolls properly.
Behind Mr. Rossmiller's gruff character it's obvious he loves his work and it shows, not just in this phenomenal little shop, but in the outstanding cakes and pastries that come out of it.
By the end of our visit, his gruff demeanor had sweetened to the point that he let us try our hands at icing and nutting some of his famous rolls. Then he presented us with a specialty of the house, angel food cupcakes.
They are truly divine.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com