By Harlen Persinger
It has been 50 years since I was selected as an (IFYE) International 4-H Youth Exchange delegate from Iowa to Norway. Having the opportunity to participate in this six-month program was the spark that launched my career in photojournalism. During that time frame, April through October, I lived and worked with five farm families in three different counties. My second home was with Aud Tonstad, a widow who had six children, four girls and twin boys, ages 24 to 18. Their cousin, Svein Sturla Tonstad, lived down the street and was always part of each day’s activities.
This past summer I returned to the community of Tonstad for the third time since 1970 and was able to meet the entire family again, except for dear Mom, who passed away in 1997. My two host brothers, Olav Magne and Tor Auden still live there, while Sturla, his wife and their children, continue to operate his parent’s 84-year old bakery. After hanging out in that quaint shop for a few hours, it’s quite evident that his enthusiasm and Norwegian hospitality remain a genuine calling card for this quaint town.
As the first rays of morning light creep across the quaint village of Tonstad, Norway, a faint, but distinct rhythm can be heard coming from the back room of a small business venue along Main Street. A peek inside, reveals the synchronized “pat, pat” of creamed colored soft dough being rolled, shaped, weighed and delicately placed into tins or on various size trays before entering a multi-chambered pizza oven set at 350 degrees F.
wheat, oat, rye, and sesame seed are customer favorites, but the store also handles special requests.
Prior to dawn, Svein Sturla Tonstad, and a couple of co-workers have already begun their seven-hour stint at the Tonstad Bakeri. Their active day starts by kneading flour or meal, milk and other ingredients together. While each person uses their hands and fingers to make different items along the spongy assembly line, Sturla concentrates on preparing 100 Danish sweet rolls, 100 to 200, 14- and 18- inch loaves of bread, plus 300 to 600 smaller bread loaves, fancy cakes and several batches of sandwich buns.
In a couple hours his wife, Borghild, who helps manage this close-knit family enterprise , arrives and calmly monitors the day’s agenda before joining in on different aspects of the baking process. She notes that all of their children, Per Sveinung, Siri, Dagny Irene, Ingeborg and Solveig, always pitched in on various chores during their teenage years and often return to help on Saturdays and during the holidays.
“The daily routine of making an assortment of tasty goodies for folks in this valley started with my father, Peder, and his bride, Dagny, 84 years ago. After serving as an apprentice in Egersund, an hour away, they managed to save 3,000 kroner ($328) and open their own shop in a basement near his home,” Sturla says. “At that time, he made four or five different kinds of bread along with cinnamon and other sweet rolls and baked everything on a wood fire oven.”
Sturla began learning the trade in 1975 and two years later took over the business. Later he moved to the present location that contained a hotel garden, an old barn and a small parking lot. To reduce labor requirements, boost efficiency and improve the overall working environment, there was an extensive remodeling project. Everyone is now able to function on one floor and there’s also adequate space for 100 customers to remain inside or munch on a pastry in the open air patio. And a couple years ago, Sturla arranged for his daughter, Dagny Irene, to open a clothing/knick-knack shop, named ‘Bittellille’, on the edge of the property.
“Although I have slowed down, I still enjoy the challenges associated with this profession,” Sturla says.” The most satisfying aspect is sharing a lifelong camaraderie with everyone who has been a part of the bakeri. It’s also gratifying to have customers relate how fortunate they are that Tonstad has a merchant like this. “We have a tremendous staff, so I’m now able to relax and take off some afternoons and evenings,” he adds. “However, every morning I always put aside a little time for coffee (an inherited tradition among Norwegians), and sample one of my favorite pastries, made to perfection and warm, right out of the oven.”
