Omaha Exploration

Decades before opening the bakery that would become The Cake Gallery in Omaha, Josef Otto was held captive as a prisoner of war while fighting for the Polish Army in World War II. After being freed, the German native found himself in the Netherlands while serving with the Allied Forces. It was here that he met his wife, Eve Jansen. 

Despite not speaking the same language, the two married following the end of the war in 1945. At the time, Europe was in shambles and offered limited economic opportunities. As a result, the two would immigrate to the United States by 1954 before eventually settling in Omaha. 

Josef hated nothing more than laziness so when he opened his own business at 50 years old in 1967, he was committed to making it a success. His Westgate Bakery was located in at 8247 Hascall Street. His son Ed meanwhile was pursuing higher education at Oklahoma State Tech University when he was elected as the president of the baker’s club in 1972.

Ed returned home and worked alongside his father until he retired in 1982. After the younger Otto took over the family business, he changed the name to The Cake Gallery in 1986. The name change, I suspect, was to emphasize cake as its specialty and to set it apart from other bakeries in town. 

After Josef passed away at the age of 86 in 2003, Eve published her autobiography titled Our Times, Our Lives: The Jozef and Eve Otto Story in 2004. Eve continued to live another 15 years before passing away in 2019 at the age of 94.

After more than 58 years at the same location, the strip mall in which The Cake Gallery was located was purchased by Dakota REIT-a Fargo-based real estate investment company. As a result, the bakery lost its lease and was forced to move from its 6,000 sq ft facility. Westlake ACE Hardware will be occupying all of the space north of Mangelsen’s in Westgate Plaza. 

The Cake Gallery is in the process of relocating to Bel Air Plaza at 120th and Center. Until the buildout of its permanent location is finished, they are operating out of a smaller, temporary space. To assist with the relocation cost that exceeds $600,000 the bakery is selling gift cards that will have an extra 15% value added to it. The bakery that Josef Otto started 57 years ago operates similar to a non-profit in that it prices its items just low enough to make a profit. 

Despite its name, The Cake Gallery offers bakery items other than just cakes. Over the decades the family owned business has earned a reputation for being one of the bakeries in town. 

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