SOME PEOPLE CARE ABOUT SAVING OUR HISTORY PRIVATE GROUP ON LONG ISLAND NY, SAVE A DINER ALMOST 100 YEARS OLD ON THE VERGE OFCLOSING, BY BUYING IT, ONLY TO SAVE IT...
Hildebrandt’s History Over the years, we’ve often been asked about the history of Hildeb- randt’s, and surprisingly, we don’t know all details. We know that Hen- ry Hildebrandt opened the store in 1927 or 1929, research has support- ed both dates, and that the business model has stayed nearly unchanged for the last 83 years. We know that only four families have owned the place in all that time: Henry sold to Alma Steffens in the ‘50s; Alma sold to Helen Baum in 1974; and Mrs. Baum sold it to my parents, Alfred and Joanne Strano in 1975. Henry Schriever, the original candy maker, trained by Henry, trained my dad, Alfred, and the recipes have
continued to be handed down and closely guarded. Alfred and Joanne’s daughters: Joanne, Anne and Susan all worked at Hildebrandt’s through high school and beyond. Susan and her husband, Bryan Acosta, bought the store in 2007, and ran it together until Susan’s passing in June 2015. Since then, Bryan has kept the tradi- tion going. Their children Dakota and Hunter Acosta, both worked here during their high school years, and Hunter is currently working with her father, still family owned and operated. The more some things change, the more they stay the same. We are looking to fill in the details. We have so many wonderful and loyal customers that have been coming to Hildebrandt’s since the early days, we’d like to hear your stories. If you have any photos, old menus, etc, we’d be especially grateful to get copies. In the meantime, we’re working with the Nassau County Museum to see what we may find in the archives. Thanks for your interest in Hildebrandt’s. We wouldn’t be here without you. All the best, The Hildebrandt’s Crew
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