Robert Engl

Bapa’s Story

Bapa’s recipes are developed and made routinely by Grandpa (Dr. Bob Engl).

Dr. Bob was born in Buffalo in the Spring of 1957. His parents: Betty, a home ec teacher, and Art, an engineer, both grew up in Buffalo and had a home in the Town of Tonawanda where they raised their 4 children, of whom Bob was the eldest.

Dr. Bob went to a Catholic elementary school in Tonawanda (St John the Baptist), which was founded by now St. John Neumann. There he developed a great love of the education style of nuns (just kidding). He attended middle and high school in Clarence after his parents built a home on Orchid Ledge. He played baseball, basketball and football for school and was offered a football scholarship for college, which he turned down.

Instead he chose St. Bonaventure University, where he met his wife Liz, shortly after freshman orientation. They dated for 4 years and married in July of 1979 after graduating with honors.

Their first home was in Philadelphia, PA where Dr. Bob attended dental school at the University of Pennsylvania while Liz worked at Penn’s Law School. After graduating from Dental School, Dr. Bob and Liz returned to Western New York where Bob started a general dental residency at Millard Fillmore Hospital on Gates Circle, and Liz worked at SUNYAB Law School’s Alumni Office.

Their first daughter Jenny was born at Millard after Dr. Bob finished his first residency. They remained in the Town of Tonawanda while Dr. Bob completed his oral surgery training and moved to Grand Island after the birth of daughter Rachel. By then Dr.Bob had opened his own practice in Kenmore.

His love of cooking and baking were passed down from his maternal grandmother Arline who was head cook at the Buffalo Steel Management Club and his mom Betty.