JeannieBird Baking Company's Bernie Vogel receives McDaniel's Lifelong Learner Award

Bernie Vogel, owner of JeannieBird Baking Company located on Main Street in Westminster, Maryland, is the recipient of the 2025 Delta of Maryland Lifelong Learner Award from the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society at McDaniel College. The award was presented during McDaniel College’s daylong Academic Symposium on Monday, May 5.

The Delta of Maryland Lifelong Learner Award is given to an individual or group from the greater Westminster, Maryland, community who has pursued intellectual inquiry beyond their professional field or fields, thus demonstrating the liberal arts value of lifelong learning.

Vogel opened JeannieBird Baking Company with his late wife, Jeannie, in the fall of 2014, after selling pastries at the Westminster Farmers Market to build their brand.

A fine wine specialist and avid traveler, he has been in the food and beverage industry since the late 1970s, attending the University of Maryland for business administration and management. He previously worked for Republic National Distributing Company.

He is known for hosting wine-paring dinners that offer culinary and cultural educational experiences for attendees. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Carroll Community College, where he teaches courses such as Wine Appreciation 101 and Off the Beaten Path: Wines Less Tasted.

An avid supporter of Westminster and the Carroll County community, Vogel not only frequently partners with McDaniel College but annually sponsors the Film Lovers in Carroll County (FLICC) Foreign Film Festival at the Carroll Arts Council.

The Delta of Maryland Lifelong Learner Award was established in 2017 by the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society at McDaniel College to celebrate the liberal arts.