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Customers packed Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe to celebrate Wolfgang and Carla Büchler’s 50 years in business, filling the bakery as drivers circled the block in search of parking.
The anniversary celebration ran from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 15. A line for free cupcakes stretched nearly to the front window ahead of a 10 a.m. ceremony presenting the couple with a key to Arlington County.
Wolfgang Büchler emigrated to the United States in 1969 with limited English. Unable to find bread that met his standards, he decided to bake it himself. He opened Heidelberg in 1975 and built it into a destination for German specialties, including bauernwurst, potato salad, creamed herring, sandwiches and spreads.
The bakery also became known for its cakes, doughnuts, strudel, candy and pretzels. It later moved into its current two-story building at 2150 N. Culpeper Street, where the full bakery operates upstairs.
Over the years, Heidelberg has repeatedly been named Arlington’s best bakery, earned recognition from bridal magazines for its wedding cakes and became a favorite of the Obama family during Barack Obama’s presidency.
As Wolfgang greeted longtime customers, he recalled serving multiple generations of some families. The Büchlers’ son and daughter, their spouses and the couple’s five grandchildren joined the crowd.
Pointing to his son, Alexander, Wolfgang outlined the family business’s future: “I am the first 50 years and he is the next 50 years.”
Employee Nathan Smith, who has worked at Heidelberg for 19 years, kept the cupcake line moving by offering chocolate or vanilla cakes topped with chocolate, lemon or mocha frosting, sprinkles and other decorations.
During the ceremony, Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis called Heidelberg an institution where generations of residents have grown up. He praised it as a neighborhood business, a family operation and a gathering place for the wider community.
Karantonis, who was born in Greece and attended university in Germany, said the bakery also connects him to his European heritage and the familiarity of real bread.
“This is the best bread there is; if you tried to buy bread on Amazon, you would regret it,” he told the crowd, prompting loud boos at the idea.
Karantonis also spoke about the difficulty of preserving neighborhood businesses and thanked customers for continuing to support Heidelberg as Alexander prepares to carry it forward.
Arlington County Board member Julius D. “JD” Spain Sr. said he spent seven years in Europe while serving in the Marine Corps, including three years in Stuttgart. After moving to the area in 2009, he searched for the kind of bread he remembered and found it at Heidelberg.
“It is not just a business, it is a place for family and community,” Spain said. “We love you, we appreciate you. We are here to support you; let’s get 50 more years.”
Spain suggested that Wolfgang open another Heidelberg location in South Arlington. Wolfgang declined with a joke: “I made a decision a long time ago I would only have one wife and one business.”
Carla thanked the bakery’s family, customers and staff, saying she felt overwhelmed and grateful. Wolfgang kept his own remarks brief.
“No speech,” he said. “I’m just happy.”