100 years of Vanhooff history

The Vanhooff bakery in the heart of Diegem's centre is for sale, due to retirement. In 1889 Jan-Baptist Vanhooff married Elisabeth Willox and immediately continued the ‘Bakkerij St-Cornelius’ of his employer Ferdinand Tenaerts (mayor since 1851). His son Frans Vanhooff married Elisabeth Dekoster and took over the business in 1921. A few years later his brother Emile joined him at the helm, together with Constance Somers. In 1947 it was the turn of Marcel Vanhooff, who married Gaby Verryt, to take over part of the bakery. After ten years of hard work, in 1957, they ran it on their own. In 1960 progress arrived: a new oven was installed, as well as a completely new automatic bread bakery. The way was paved for their son Luc, who married Leona VandenBroeck in 1972; five years later, in 1977, they took the helm themselves. With a new oven in 1980, a completely renovated shop and storeroom in 1983 and a new pastry workshop in 1988, they brought the thriving business into the modern age. Art Peeters 10-9-1989