Dear Kareem: Ace was only too happy to sink his teeth into your question. Though he is known for getting most of his refined sugars from cocktail mixers, Ace can’t help but give in to his cravings for frosted foodstuffs from time to time. So, rolling up his sleeves, Ace dug right into a heaping plate of truth.
The outlet in question—which closed last July—was home to both Hostess and Wonder Bread products. A little sleuthing revealed that the two brands actually belong to the same company, Interstate Bakeries Corporation. From here, Ace caught wind of a long tale of layoffs and corporate shakeups that precipitated the closing of the outlet on Route 29.
Some years ago, the parent company IBC looked golden on the outside. Cracking it open, however, revealed a gooey mass of hemorrhaging profits and dire financial straits. Faced with declining profits, the company declared bankruptcy in 2004. People retired from the board of directors. New management was brought in.
And there were closings. Lots of closings. Bakery outlets all over the country got the axe—stores in more than half a dozen states, from Washington to Virginia. Hundreds of people lost their jobs, according to company statements.
Was the closing of the 29N location part of this larger corporate restructuring? “The store was most likely underperforming,” said IBC spokesperson Maya Pogoda, who Ace reached at corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.
So there you have it, Kareem—it looks like you’re going to have to pay full price for your Twinkies from now on. But at least you won’t have to go completely without—Pogoda was quick to assure Ace that Twinkies, and the entire line of Hostess and Wonder products, are still readily available on grocery store shelves.
But a word to the wise, Kareem: you might want to rethink that entire snack-cake obsession. Ace recently caught wind of a local lawsuit filed by Natalie Cairns, a Greene County woman who claims to have had a teeth-rattling run-in with a Hostess Holiday Fruit Cake she bought on Valentine’s Day 2005. Seems that her delicious frosted treat was actually harboring a secret toy surprise in the form of one rock-hard cherry pit. (Wow—you mean they actually use real fruit in these things?) According to her lawsuit, this wayward stone caused a whopping $75,000 in dental damage, mental anguish, pain and suffering, and she’s chomping mad about it. So enjoy your prepackaged confections if you must, Kareem, but please remember: Bite carefully. As Ms. Cairns laments in her lawsuit, woe be to those who don’t recognize “the inherent dangers of eating a fruit cake.”
You can ask Ace yourself. Intrepid investigative reporter Ace Atkins has been chasing readers’ leads for 18 years. If you have a question for Ace, e-mail it to ace@c-ville.com.