Mama G’s Bakery and Coffeehouse brings taste of Germany to St. Petersburg

Customer favorites, like the apple strudel, butter crumb cake, almond horns and cheese Danish, come straight from Jacqueline Blowers’ childhood.

ST. PETERSBURG — When Jacqueline Blowers walks into her storefronts on Central Avenue and in Kenneth City, it’s not just the smell of fresh-baked strudel, sourdough and coffee that greets her. It’s the feeling of home and the memory of a childhood spent behind the counter of a bakery in Germany.

She grew up in Wunsiedel, a town in northeastern Bavaria, where she often spent time in the back of her family’s bakery with her siblings. Her mother ran the front of the shop while her father oversaw production and operations. Baking has been a part of the Goldstein family for generations. Both of her parents are certified master bakers.

“I literally grew up in the back of my family’s bakery,” Blowers said. “It was always my dream to have my own bakery ever since I was a little girl. I wanted to do what they did, and I went to school for it in Germany.”

At 17, Blowers immigrated to the United States with her family, bringing their Bavarian recipes with them. Nearly two decades later, she keeps those roots alive by continuing the family legacy.

It all started with ‘Mama G’

After the family moved to the U.S., people often struggled to pronounce Jacqueline’s mother’s name, Beate. Her son-in-law Bruce Blowers, Jacqueline’s husband, gave her the nickname “Mama G,” and it stuck. The name eventually inspired Beate Goldstein to call her first bakery “Mama G’s.”

In 2015, Goldstein opened the first storefront in north Sarasota after a decade working at a local gourmet market. In 2018, Blowers decided to make her childhood dream come true and opened her own location in Kenneth City. A third shop followed in 2022, run by Blowers’ siblings.

The newest location tucked along Central Avenue in St. Petersburg opened in March 2024. Blowers said it came about unexpectedly when a longtime customer mentioned a perfect spot in the bay area. Though they hadn’t planned on opening another store, they felt it was simply meant to be.

Bavarian flavors from childhood

While the Central Avenue shop doesn’t carry the full lunch menu offered at the Kenneth City location (served Thursday through Saturday), due to limited kitchen space, it still features a variety of traditional pastries, rustic breads and Bavarian snacks.

Menu highlights include Bienenstich (or “Bee Sting”), a sweet yeast dough filled with vanilla custard and topped with honey and almonds. Flaky Danish pastries and croissants filled with ham and cheese, spinach and ricotta, or Nutella are also popular, along with a rotating selection of strudels in flavors like apple, cheese, poppy seed and nut.

The breads are sourdough-based, made with organic flours and free of eggs, oil, sugar, milk or preservatives.

Customer favorites, like the apple strudel, butter crumb cake, almond horns and cheese Danish, come straight from Blowers’ childhood in Germany.

One of the most rewarding parts of Blowers’ work is seeing how a single pastry can transport someone back in time.

“The poppy seed strudel is special because you can’t get it in a lot of places,” Blowers said. “I’ve had people cry because it brings them back to a moment with a loved one. That’s what makes this work so rewarding.”

Beyond the joy and nostalgia it brings for customers, Blowers sees her bakery as a way to pass something meaningful to her children.

“It’s not just for me; it’s for the next generation,” she said. “I can give a little piece of my childhood to them.”

Behind the bakery, a family business

Like many small-business owners, Blowers knows the challenges — long hours, rising ingredient costs and the ups and downs of the food industry. But for her, the meaning behind the work outweighs it all.

“You go through seasons; some are good, some are bad — it’s really just life,” she said. “When you’re an entrepreneur and business owner, that’s what you sign up for. You have to find the joy with the ups and downs because it’s going to change again.”

At the core of that joy is family. Her husband, though not a baker, plays a vital role behind the scenes — managing marketing, social media and the website.

A classically trained musician and former concert oboist, Bruce Blowers once led worship services and worked in car sales and management before joining the bakery business.

“This work is very different, but you can’t buy time,” he said. “The opportunity to do this as a family is such a wonderful honor and privilege, and I’m happy to support wherever I can.”

If Mama G’s had a theme song, “it’s still being written,” he said. “It’s the kind of song that feels like home when you hear it.”

Bruce Blowers said they enjoy sharing a taste of Europe and creating a welcoming space where neighbors can connect over coffee and croissants.

“We’re just thankful to be able to do what we love,” he said.

If you go

Mama G’s German Bakery and Coffeehouse

Pinellas County locations: 7219 Central Ave. S., St. Petersburg, and 6114 54th Ave. N., Kenneth City

More information: mamagsbakery.com

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