Or perhaps that of a Dream-of-Cream cake, all fluffy and wispy and soft. Then there was that piece of macadamia-nut cookie, and the German chocolate cake, and the custard-and-pineapple Figure 8, and a sweet potato pie. And don't forget the best darned cheese Danish ever to grace this globe and ... eeehhhrrrllll (noise Homer Simpson makes when dreaming of a doughnut). Mmmmm, buttery, flaky, gooey goodness.

By the time it was all over, the reporter didn't even know what goodies she'd devoured. All she knew was she was tubby.

Now, it's not her fault. Oh, they're a sneaky bunch at Neldam's, and they've had plenty of practice plying patrons with their puffy pastries.

Seventy-five years worth, in fact.

And at 11:00 a.m. February 26, Neldam's -- at 3401 Telegraph Avenue. -- will celebrate its big birthday with a free party for its loyal customers, probably baking itself a really big birthday cake to boot.

There will be music, give-aways and maybe presentations from local dignitaries. (They're trying to get the new governor to attend.) There will be additional snacks from the neighboring Everett & Jones and Nordic House Scandinavian deli. And of course, there will be tasty Neldam's treats.

Just watch out for those devils in white aprons who recently forced said reporter, FORCED her, mind you, to taste said treats. All right, so nobody literally tied anybody down or anything. But you could see it in their eyes. More of a hypnotic, telepathic kind of forcing, with some verbal nudges thrown in. Father and son, Mike, 49, and Sean, 21. Third- and fourth-generation Neldams respectively. Subtly. Slyly.

"Here, try this. And try this. Never had this? Oh, and you have to try this." They then stood back in silence, with the thinnest, vaguest hint of a wink, letting the treats do what treats do so well.

The bakery is one of Oakland's most-loved landmarks. Longtime patrons have written thank-yous on a long paper roll in the store, set up for signatures during this anniversary month.

"My sisters and I got all our wedding cakes here more than 60 years ago," one woman wrote.

Another reads, "My father crossed the street for a treat at Neldam's when he was 5 years old. We have been loyal for all these years."

The place was founded in 1929 by the original Neldams -- Aksel "George" Neldam and wife Rosalia. George came from a baking family in Denmark.

"He wasn't allowed to be in the bakery business in Denmark," Mike Neldam said. "There, if one son was in a business, you couldn't have another doing the same thing. So if he wanted to be a baker, he either had to leave or kill his brother."

Needless to say, he left, survived a shipwreck on his way to the United States but finally made it, starting as an apprentice baker in New York City and then working his way West. There was a large Danish community in Oakland then, and George took a job at an existing Danish bakery. He soon met Rosalia and they set up their own shop, specializing in such Scandinavian treats as marzipan and almond-flavored delights.

There's family lore galore. Like the story of a very pregnant Rosalia Neldam working until the day before Christmas 1932, and then giving birth to Jack the day after Christmas.

And back when they had gas ovens, which were required to be in a separate building, George would bake the cakes and carry them into the store. When it rained, Rosalia would walk along with him, holding an umbrella -- not over George, but over the steaming hot goodies.

The original shop was on the same block, just a storefront away. Neldam's moved to its current, bigger spot in the early '60s. A kitchen fire in the early 1980s shut Neldam's briefly, but it bounced back faster than the rest of us can probably bake a cake.

Various Neldams have run the place. Jack Neldam was in charge for many decades with wife Pat. He retired a few years ago, but still comes in often to see how things are going.

Mike Neldam says he literally grew up in the bakery. "When I was a little kid, one of these flour bins was set aside for me and they'd put me in for my nap," he said, rolling out a big white container.

He has managed to stay surprisingly slim. "I sample it all the time, but I can't afford to eat it," he said. "It's like a bartender -- he can't afford to drink all night with his customers."

Sean Neldam brings some spiky blond hair and piercings to the business, but also a baking enthusiasm equal to his dad and his dad before him and his dad before him.

Tastes are a little different nowadays. There's only a shred of the Danish community left. Neldam's still keeps one glass display case full of the Scandinavian treats, but also has added favorite flavors from the Latino, Asian and African-American communities.

They're working on a Web site for online ordering. Currently www.neldamsbakery.com just offers basic information. It's not like they really need more marketing, anyway. They've done pretty well relying on word of mouth, as long as the mouths aren't full of cheese Danish.

Actor Danny Glover was in a few months ago. Whoopi Goldberg came by recently. And a Japanese film crew was in last month, filming for a TV show.

Fortunately, the Atkins diet hasn't hurt business much.

"People still come to us for anniversary cakes, holidays, parties. None of that has changed. And we have some really loyal customers," Mike Neldam said.

And loyal employees too. Of the 16 bakers and 16 clerks, many have been there 20 to 30 years and beyond. Cathy Caulkett has been at the bakery for 20 years, and her daughter, Trina Helmke, joined about seven years ago. "My dad used to come here way back when it first opened," Caulkett said. "He's 89 now, and he still does."

Rigo Luna, a 20-year employee, poured a chocolate cream into a swirling vat of whipping egg whites in the baking area, which customers never see. "It does look pretty good, doesn't it?" he asked. You know it, Rigo.

Mark Davis is a 30-year Neldam's veteran whose job is quite literally the icing on the cake.

"I'm the wedding cake guy," he said, standing at one of the huge butcher block tables in the cake decorating area, sliding a pearl-white frosting onto the bottom layer of a three-tier wedding cake.

The bakery sells 650 to 700 wedding cakes a year. "We've done wedding cakes for four generations of one family," he said. And just so you know, a box full of Neldam's treats taken back to work does not last long in an office setting. It's like throwing raw meat into a tank of piranhas.

Mike Neldam loves his job. "The thing I always think of is how many thousands and thousands of dinner tables we get to be at, for Christmases and Thanksgivings and weddings," he said. "All these special occasions in people's lives -- and we're there."

Yep, that's pretty sweet. For more information on the 75th birthday bash, call (510) 658-1967.

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
(510) 208-6447
(510) 208-6477 Fax##
lmclaughlin@angnewspapers.com Email

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