Historic Chicago Bakeries

by Jennifer Billock

As immigrants came from outside the United States and settled in pockets around Chicago, each neighborhood had its own bakery--and sometimes several. At one time, more than seven thousand bakeries dotted the city streets. Stalwarts like Dinkel's, Roeser's, Weber's, Pticek and Ferrara continue a legacy that shaped Chicago's food an atomic cake for family celebrations, bacon buns in the morning or a poppy seed bun for hot dogs and pączki and zeppole for holidays. Even the never-ending debate over seeded or unseeded rye. From pioneering bakers to today's cake makers, author Jennifer Billock puts the sweet and doughy history of Chicago on display.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel, Food

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2021

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a non-fiction group at my local library. It did bring back some memories of the bakeries that I was aware of. The book as a whole is very choppy and more like a reference guide than a story. The book could have benefited from a narrative that held the antidotes together, instead of telling each story individually.

The stories are inconsistent, but I believe that is due mainly to the information available. If the author found chatty family members or employees with good memories, she could tell a more complete story. However, even then, the stories were somewhat repetitive. A man came from (Germany, Poland, Italy, etc.) and started a bakery. It became known for it's bread, wedding cakes, cookies, etc. They moved to a bigger location. It's still run today by the grandchildren or it closed and people still miss it. By the end of the book, you feel like Groundhog Day.

Unless a person lived or had friends and relatives in different parts of the city, it is doubtful that many people frequented more than a few of the bakeries mentioned.

For bakery aficionados it might serve as a checklist to visit Chicago's iconic bakeries, however, many of the featured bakeries are closed.

My recommendation for this book is to borrow it from a library and read about the few bakeries that you have a connection to, then thumb through and see if any of the other stories catch your attention.

[Ashley Piekarski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't what I expected. This isn't a tourist list of bakeries to visit (many of them are closed or wholesale not retail), this isn't a compilation of true short stories about Chicago bakeries (though there are several short stories in this book, they're sprinkled in randomly), this isn't even a list of bakeries in Chicago (many are in the suburbs, some originated in Chicago, some were relocated to Chicago).

This is an encyclopedia of bakeries linked to Chicago in some way and whatever information the author could dig up on the bakery is included - sometimes there's a lot of info, sometimes just the owners name and when the owner died. This is a reference book which I read cover to cover. And it's not even a very helpful reference book since it's not in alphabetical order and I'm honestly not sure how the bakeries are organized: first by opening year in chapters, then by an undetermined ordering system within each chapter.

It's a nice airport book (which is where I bought it), I'm glad it's in my collection, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a trip down memory lane! Growing up on the SWSide, I’ve eaten plenty from many of the bakeries mentioned here. It was very interesting to learn about the origins of some Chicago classics (Bay’s, Turano’s, Gonnella, S. Rosen’s).

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great list, research, photos. Had all my favorites: Scafuri, Weber, Ferrara, and Bridgeport Bakery (sadly closed again).