Ken Rosenthal, the man behind the bakery cafe in St. Louis that evolved into the famed Panera Bread, passed away at 81 in his Scottsdale, Arizona home on February 14. His journey from retail to the expansion of a bakery empire is remembered fondly.
His wife, Linda Rosenthal, revealed that he succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease. Back in the mid-80s, Ken was deeply entrenched in the women’s fashion world, running Kenlyn’s, a clothing store in Chesterfield, Missouri with Linda. Reflecting on his career change, he confessed to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1997 that he was initially clueless about baking.
The idea of a sourdough bakery wasn’t even on Ken’s radar until his brother, Don, suggested it after seeing a similar concept, Le Boulanger, in San Francisco. After some reluctance, Ken finally visited the place himself.
Captivated by the artistry of sourdough, Ken eagerly learned from Roger Brunello, the proprietor of Le Boulanger. With Roger’s guidance, Ken opened the first Saint Louis Bread Company in Kirkwood in October 1987, offering an array of fresh breads, pastries, and sandwiches.
Ken’s wife, Laya, humorously recalled being unsure of her husband’s new skills until Roger vouched for him. The switch to the bread business helped them escape the intensifying competition in the apparel sector. “We took a risk because we felt we might as well,” Laya noted after they sold Kenlyn’s shortly after their new venture.
Adapting to his new occupation wasn’t easy. Appearing on local television six months post-launch, Ken shared how the bakery business changed his daily rhythm, requiring him to start his day at 2 a.m. Despite the challenges, Ken found joy in the slow, careful process of crafting sourdough, a bread type not easily replicated by large-scale producers.
Born on April 11, 1943, in St. Louis, Ken followed in the retail footsteps of his father, Herman, who owned a women’s apparel store. By 1970, Ken was running his own clothing business and eventually transitioned to Kenlyn’s in 1980 after splitting partnership duties with a colleague.
Ken’s transition to the food industry proved to be a masterstroke. By 1993, the Rosenthals, alongside other partners, expanded their bakery from a single outlet to a 20-store chain across Missouri and Atlanta.
Remarking on Ken’s foresight, partner Doron Berger told The Denver Post that while skeptics abounded, Ken’s vision was unmatched at a time when there was virtually no competition in St. Louis’s bakery scene. It paid off, leading to the sale of the Saint Louis Bread Company to Au Bon Pain for $24 million in 1993.
The brand only grew stronger under its new ownership. By 1997, Au Bon Pain had rebranded the entity as Panera Bread, and the chain witnessed rapid expansion. In 2017, this success story culminated in Panera’s acquisition by JAB Holding for a staggering $7.5 billion.
Ken continued to be involved, becoming a Panera franchisee and owning nearly 100 restaurants through his company, Breads of the World, before retiring to Scottsdale in 2019.
Ken’s legacy is cherished by his wife, brother, two daughters, two sons, and 13 grandchildren. In reflection, Ken noted to The Post-Dispatch in 1997 that his strength lay in forging new paths. “I’m not a great operator. I’m a better pioneer than I am anything else,” he said, encapsulating a life of entrepreneurial spirit and adventure.
