Main Street Bakery & Catering marks 20 years in Luray

By Randy Arrington

LURAY, Dec. 4 — Twenty years may be measured in many ways. Some might say “two decades,” others may leave it at a “score,” while still others might put it at “nearly a quarter of a century.” For Chef Chuck Arnaud, time is measured is more practical units than months or years — instead, he counts eggs.

Tacked high up on the wall behind the counter of Main Street Bakery & Catering, sits a small chalkboard. Written in scribbled white chalk is “145,683 eggs”. The finer print above it reveals its significance — “Eggs used since Dec. 2003”.

“It’s been a great ride…when I moved here, it was like the chute open[ed] and you feel safe,” Arnaud, known as “Chef Chuck”, told a large crowd packed into his small bakery on Monday. “It’s just a beautiful place…there is no bad view.”

Customers, local officials and supporters gathered at 127 East Main Street on Monday afternoon to celebrate 20 years of the local bakery’s service to the community at a ribbon cutting hosted by the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce.

“This is a wonderful event and a wonderful turnout,” Chamber President Gina Hilliard said on Monday. “For Chuck to celebrate 20 years…not only has he engaged in his passion, but he has given so much back to the community. Thank you for coming here and investing in Luray 20 years ago. Anyone who knows him, knows how giving he is.”

Nearly a dozen of the more than 50 in attendance shared stories about Chef Chuck, some gushing about the quality of his culinary creations, and others offering genuine thanks for his generosity to their organization, or the community as a whole, over his two decades in business.

“If you come in here as a customer, you leave as more of a friend than a customer,” Mayor Jerry Dofflemyer said, “and that’s a big part of why he’s been so successful over the years.”

Prior to launching his culinary career, Chuck worked as a lighting director for ballet companies, opera companies, and theater companies — an expertise he would later share with Performing Arts of Luray (PAL) just a little ways down Main Street. When he realized the live entertainment industry “was not stable” for employment, he decided to go in another direction and enrolled at the now-defunct New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Chef Chuck said. “For two years, they kicked my ass.”

At the time he was 36, while most of his classmates were 15 years younger. Despite having no experience going in, Chef Chuck gained the skills to work two high-profile internships — one at Lila Vanderbilt’s Shelburne Farms in Vermont; and another at The Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, where he would help feed 500 to 600 people each day.

When he arrived in the Shenandoah Valley, he first lived in the Town of Shenandoah and worked at Hank’s BBQ in McGaheysville, where he ran their bakery and pastry division. His first sales in Luray would be a couple of years later at a farmer’s market put together by Joe and Alice Davis down at the former Ford Motor Co. building (where Delaware North offices are now located). Then, as they say, one thing lead to another.

“After enough people say ‘You should start a bakery’…you begin to believe it,” Chef Chuck told the crowd at Monday’s ribbon cutting.

And so he did — and now, two decades later, Main Street Bakery is an institution in Downtown Luray.

“You are a part of the heartbeat of Main Street,” said Jackie Wood, program director for the Luray Downtown Initiative. “You are among a group of business owners who have invested so much to make our Main Street great.”

As patrons mingled around the shop after Monday’s ribbon cutting, they shared their “Chef Chuck” stories. Chris and Lindi Jenkins shared photos of the their wedding cake that Chuck created some 17 years ago. Some told stories of orders needed on short notice that were filled with no complaints. Others recalled his efforts to help out at local schools and partnering with local non-profits.

Emma Sours, the friendly face behind the counter for the past five years, says that’s what keeps her job interesting.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” Emma said. “He always has us doing something different.”

This Christmas Chef Chuck is featuring several holiday treats like pumpkin cheesecake, maple chocolate pecan pie and sweet potato pecan pie. He also says the perfect thing for Christmas morning — before the big meal later in the day — would be a quiche, along with a few cinnamon rolls and muffins. Make sure to order ahead of time to ensure your treats are ready for the big day with family and friends.

Chef Chuck said he can remember young customers who could barely see over his counter, now coming into the bakery with their own children. His love of the area and the community has only grown over time, including his love of the outdoors. A little known fact…Chef Chuck used to be a competitive skeet shooter and when he first moved to the area, he soon joined the Page Valley Sportsman Club.

That love of the outdoors and the Page Valley’s beauty shows through in many ways. When asked why he liked the area so much, Chef Chuck simply walked to the porch of the bakery and pointed to the sun setting behind the Massanutten mountain — “Stuff like that,” he said.

“It’s just felt right,” he continued. “It’s just a groovy place, and I plan to be here as long as I can.”

With a lot of distant relatives in neighboring Shenandoah County, it wasn’t a hard decision to locate in Luray — and it’s one he says he has never regretted. The community is glad that he did…on the second day he baked bread in Luray, Chef Chuck took his leftovers to Page One — and he has been giving back ever since.

“I will always do things to help make people’s lives better,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to feel good about what I did.”

Main Street Bakery, 127 E. Main St, Luray, opens 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Closed Sunday and Monday. For more information, call (540) 743-6909 or visit mainstreetbakery-catering.com

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