Images
The remains of a pancake house originally built as a Van de Kamp bakery in Houck, AZ.
The Denny’s in Arcadia, California that was formerly a Van de Kamp’s.
Remains of a Van de Kamps in Houck, Arizona
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | baked goods |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Founder | Lawrence Frank, Theodore J. Van de Kamp, Henrietta Van de Kamp, Marion Van de Kamp |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Fate | Bankrupt |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | western United States |
Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries was a brand of breads and assorted pastry products, frozen fish entrees, and prepared dinners formerly owned by General Baking. Established by one of the founders of both Los Angeles' iconic Tam O'Shanter Inn and the Lawry's restaurant chain and seasoned salt empire, it went bankrupt in 1990.
Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries was founded in 1915 as a Los Angeles potato chip stand by Theodore J. Van de Kamp, his sisters Marian and Henrietta, and Henrietta's husband Lawrence L. Frank, all recent transplants from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [1] The first stand was operated from an eight foot frontage at 236 ½ South Spring Street adjacent to the Saddle Rock Café—the very heart of Los Angeles at the time. They expanded the business to baked goods, and by the mid-1950s had become a regional bakery/restaurant chain. At the company’s height, 320 Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakers dotted the West Coast from California to Washington. [2] In 1930 the company built a large bakery and administrative offices to support its growth in Glassell Park, Los Angeles. The Van de Kamp Bakery Building was designed by New York architect J. Edwin Hopkins. [3] The company's trademark blue windmills featured on their bakery store signs and atop their chain of restaurants that were known throughout the region. The restaurants were designed by Harold Bissner Jr. Its slogan was to capitalize on the association with Dutch cleanliness and freshness: "Made Clean, Kept Clean, Sold Clean". Following the death of Theodore van de Kamp in 1956, the bakery was acquired by General Baking Co. [4] The company was sold to private investors in 1979, and closed in bankruptcy in 1990. [5] [6] Today, there are few remnants of the famous windmills. A former Van de Kamp Holland Dutch bakery in Arcadia, CA was converted to a Denny's restaurant in 1989 and still features a fully restored windmill. [7] [8]
Former Los Angeles County District Attorney (1975–81) [9] and State Attorney General [10] (1983–91), John K. Van de Kamp (D) is a nephew of the baker's co-founders. Under the direction of Lawrence (Larry) Frank, the Frank and Van de Kamp families also founded Lawry's Restaurants and the Tam O'Shanter Inn.
Over the years the Van de Kamp brand had been owned by Pillsbury, Pet, Inc., Van De Kamp's, Inc., and later Aurora Foods.
Several former employees of the bakery were interviewed, and the original bakery featured, in Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 802. [11]
The Van de Kamp's brand was acquired by Pinnacle Foods, Inc., and then merged with Conagra Brands, which currently owns the rights to the Van de Kamp’s frozen fish and seafood products. The Van de Kamp's brand was also used by Ralphs and sister company Food 4 Less supermarket chains for their line of private-label baked goods. Products were discontinued in 2018.
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Huell Burnley Howser was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing California's Gold and his human interest show Visiting... with Huell Howser, produced by KCET in Los Angeles for California PBS stations. The archive of his video chronicles offers an enhanced understanding of the history, culture, and people of California. He also voiced the Backson in Winnie the Pooh (2011).
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John Kalar Van de Kamp was an American politician and lawyer who served as Los Angeles County District Attorney from 1975 until 1981, and then as the 28th Attorney General of California from 1983 until 1991.
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The Van de Kamp Bakery Building was built in 1930 in the Glassell Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It served as the headquarters of the chain of bakeries and coffee shops known for their distinctive windmill architecture. The building was designed by New York architect J. Edwin Hopkins to resemble a Dutch 16th century farmhouse. Originally there was a Van de Kamp's store next to the building, which was one of the first Van de Kamp's stores ever made and had the famous Van de Kamp's windmill style design. The building remains the only example of an industrial plant in the Renaissance Revival and Dutch Colonial Revival styles. The bakery closed in October 1990 after Van de Kamps filed for Chapter 11. The building is a designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, declared on May 12, 1992.
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Clifton's Cafeteria, once part of a chain of eight Clifton's restaurants, was the oldest surviving cafeteria-style eatery in Los Angeles and the largest public cafeteria in the world when it closed in 2018. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton, the design of the restaurants included exotic decor and facades that were "kitschy and theatrical", and would eventually include multi-story fake redwood trees, stuffed lions, neon plants, and a petrified wood bar. Some considered Clifton's as a precursor to the first tiki bars. The name was created by combining "Clifford" and "Clinton" to produce "Clifton's".
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Van de Kamp or Van der Kamp is a Dutch toponymic surname. A kamp originally was a fenced / enclosed piece of land. Notable people with the surname include:
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