Rosenthal founded St. Louis Bread Company, which later became the nationwide bakery-cafe chain Kenneth “Ken” Rosenthal, who founded the company that later became Panera Bread, has died. He was 81. The Panera founder died “peacefully in his home surrounded by his family” on Friday,

Ken Rosenthal and his wife Linda opened the first St. Louis Bread Co. store in the Greentree Shopping Center in Kirkwood in 1987.

Panera is a renowned bakery-cafe chain founded by Ken Rosenthal (Kenneth Rosenthal), who passed away recently at the age of 81. Believed to have died on February 14, Rosenthal started the St.