Oakland’s oldest kosher bakery hits the market for $1

Grand Bakery, Oakland’s oldest kosher bakery and one of the most famous for its pit, just launched for $1.

Owner Sam Tobis announced the news in an email late Wednesday afternoon, looking for “someone passionate about a Jewish bakery to take over the big bakery in Oakland, now available for just $1!”

Why this low price? “Because I’m less interested in profit from the sale and more invested in finding the right person to carry on the beloved bakery’s 60-year legacy,” Tobis wrote. I have maintained a great legacy for seven years, but it is time to pass it on to the next set of loving hands.

Tobis bought the bakery in 2017 to “keep the great legacy alive for generations to come,” he said in a statement on the bakery’s website. “But life sometimes has other plans.” Tobis also recently became a partner in Sauls Restaurant and Delicatessen in Berkeley, and running the two seems like a difficult task.

“[F]Or, for the past two years, I have tried to manage both. “Being a part of the Jewish food community in the Bay Area is my greatest joy and I wish I could do it all, but I can’t. It’s time to pass the Grand into the next batch of loving hands.”

The person who blocks the $1 sale gets the brand name, recipes and current staff. Tobis said he was “willing to make various arrangements regarding the equipment and vans, including loaner transportation.” No mention was made of rental arrangements. Grand Bakery’s current production facility is above The Food Mill natural goods store at 3033 MacArthur Blvd.