Four Generations of Baking

Our story begins with Bo’s father Charles “CV” Van Sanders Sr. who began baking in the 1940s.  He was a baker his entire life.  He worked in a bakery in Leesville, Louisiana until December 1948 when he moved to Mansfield, Louisiana because the Ruffin Brothers asked him to open a bakery in their store.  In 1951, CV left Ruffin Brothers and opened Sanders Bakery in Mansfield.  CV’s son, Bo, spent many early morning hours working with his Dad in the bakery before going to school.  Bo loved working one on one with his Dad and learning how to bake.  After school, Bo would return to the bakery to wash pots and pans and sweep the floor.  In November 1955, CV moved his family to Leesville and opened a bakery there.  At that time, Bo was a Junior in high school.  His Dad, CV, taught him how to make almost everything in the bakery.  Bo got up between 3:30 and 4:00 A.M. to go to work at his Dad’s bakery.  Bo’s main job was to make yeast-raised donuts.  Bo would cut out 100 dozen donuts and have them ready to fry before going to school.  When Bo left the bakery to go to school, his Dad fried the donuts.  Although Bo changed into school clothes, he still smelled like a donut and his classmates called him “Donut” and “Bo Van The Donut Man.”  While Bo was in college, on many holidays, he returned to Leesville to work in his Dad’s bakery.  Spending so much time in Sanders Bakery with his Dad taught Bo about hard work and discipline, which was evident throughout his more than 50 year career as a doctor. 

Although Bo did not follow in his Dad’s footsteps, he continued to bake when he moved to New Orleans in 1970.  He still used his Dad’s recipes, some of which were written in his Dad’s handwriting.  Bo has kept a notebook of almost all of the items that he has baked over the past 50 years with written comments regarding how each recipe turned out.  Bo’s daughter Laura recalls her Dad’s love of baking when she was growing up in New Orleans.  One of her fondest memories of her Dad’s baking was when he made brownies over the Christmas holidays.  He would cut off the crusts and she would get to sample the brownies soon after they were baked.  Bo has shared “Bo’s brownies” recipe with many of his medical school students and residents.  Laura also recalls her Dad Bo making cannolis and many other items over the years.  Since his recent retirement, Bo has enjoyed having more time to bake and has become an expert at making Grand Marnier souffle, bread pudding with Crème Anglaise, and bread pudding souffle.  Bo loves going to different bakeries in New Orleans because it reminds him of how much he enjoyed working with his Dad in Sanders Bakery.  There is something about the smell of a bakery that brings back wonderful memories of his time spent in his Dad’s bakery. 

Bo passed his love of baking to his daughter, Laura, who has baked for the past 30 years.  Laura enjoys baking multiple cakes including German chocolate cake, hummingbird cake, strawberry cake, and doberge cake.  She also loves baking over the holidays and particularly enjoys making multiple kinds of cookies, chocolate truffles, candies, pralines, and her made from scratch cannolis that her children ask her to make every Christmas.  The cannoli recipe is Bo’s recipe. 

Laura’s daughter, Taylor, is a fourth generation baker.  Taylor has loved iced sugar cookies since she was very little and has fond memories of her Mom taking her to multiple bakeries growing up to get iced sugar cookies and petit fours.  Taylor enjoys baking and trying new cookie recipes multiple times a week in her “test kitchen.”  Taylor named the bakery “Bo’s Bake Shop” in honor of her grandfather, Bo Sanders.  Taylor and Laura’s launch of Bo’s Bake Shop began during the 2021 Christmas season with iced sugar cookies.  We hope that our iced sugar cookies bring back fond memories for all and that our love of baking can add to the joy of the holidays.  We hope to add more of our classic recipes in 2023.