bake - March 2019 - PAN - 49
PROFILES
G
reeks and Hispanics share common
passions: love of family and love
of bakery. So it should come as no
surprise that a Greek family would open
a Hispanic bakery and turn it into a huge
success. Opened in March 1996 and now
with two locations in the Chicagoland,
Bravo Bakery is widely known for delicious
and authentic Hispanic breads, cakes and
pastries, and the bakery's owners chalk up
their success to one word: love.
"If you love what you do, that's what
really matters," says Maria Sakkos Diakatos,
who manages one of Bravo Bakery's two
locations. "You're not going to go the extra
mile unless you love what you do."
Her brother, Nick, who manages the
second store, agrees wholeheartedly and
points out that their dedication to customer
service and product excellence translates
into a successful business model. The
bakery has closed only two days in more
than 20 years. Their stores open at 4 a.m.
every day and close at 10 p.m.
"If we stayed open 24 hours, we'd be busy
24 hours," says Nick, whose parents, Ted
and Stella Sakkos, opened their first bakery
in the northwest Chicago suburb of Mount
Prospect, Illinois, 23 years ago.
The Sakkos family's second store opened
in nearby Prospect Heights, Illinois, in
January 2001.
Stella Sakkos says that she and her
husband started the business to make a
better life for their children. They had
experience in the restaurant industry but
had never run a bakery until they opened
the original Bravo Bakery in Mount
Prospect, an area that was heavily populated
by residents of Hispanic descent. That's
why they chose to offer Hispanic breads
and cakes.
"Twenty years ago, Mount Prospect
was starting to flourish," Stella says. "The
location and timing were good, and there
were a lot of Hispanics living in this area.
Now we have customers who have come
to our bakery for over 20
years, from as far away as
Milwaukee and Indiana.
Customers love the bakery
because even if you come
at 8 at night, you'll find
something baking. That's
what helps us. Something
fresh is coming out of the
oven all day long."
"We bake fresh bolillos
12 times a day," Maria
adds. "That's a big deal."
Maria, who was 19 when
the bakery opened, says
that it is a great feeling of
pride and accomplishment
to know her family has
created something special.
Most people who shop at
Bravo Bakery are Hispanic,
including an increasing
number of Guatemalan
customers.
"We do Guatemalan
bread now," Maria says.
"Everyone wants variety.
We try to do a little bit of
everything: breads, cakes,
cookies."
Elotes, cuernos, yoyos,
borrachos and many more
authentic breads and
pastries are sold here, offering customers
the best flavors around.
"Conchas and tres leches cakes are our
signature items. Everything we make
is from scratch, and we use BakeMark
ingredients," Maria says. "I've tasted all the
ingredients, and BakeMark is the best. You
can taste the difference."
Traditional empanadas come in a variety
of flavors, including strawberry, peach or
guava. Depending on the time of year,
the bakery offers different options to call
attention to the flavors of the season.
"We cater to each season," Nick says.
"We did 30 varieties of cookies for
Valentine's Day. For Easter, we do cakes in
the shapes of Easter eggs, bunny cookies
and other spring cakes. We do strawberry,
pineapple, peach. We sell slices of cakes that
turn into full cake sales."
Looking ahead, the Sakkos family says
they are looking to expand and add space to
their Mount Prospect location.
Stella reflects on all they have
accomplished in more than 20 years, and a
smile comes to her face. "We put our family
first, and that's what matters in life," she
says. "This is home."
MARCH 19
|
PANADERÍA
49
bake - March 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - March 2019
bake - March 2019
Editor's Note
Contents
Management - Investing in Your FUTURE
Technical Corner - BLENDING FLOURS FOR FLAVOR
Practical Marketing - Demonstration Pavilion
Equipment Innovations - Milestones in Mixing
Global Inspirations from Sirha
bake a BETTER WORLD
Chocolate & Decorating - Back to Nature
Cakes - Wedding & Spring Trends
Sweet Goods - INNOVATION IN SESSION
Breads - Breakfast Drives GLOBAL GROWTH
Pastries - Pastry Hybrids 2.0
Foodservice - NEW DIRECTIONS
Product Showcase
Classifieds
Ad Index
Formula of the Month
BAKEMARK'S PANADERIA - MARCH 2019
CARTA DE INTRODUCCIÓN
INTRODUCTORY LETTER
PAN Y HORNEO - El Pan Vuelve a Estar de Moda
PASTELES Y DECORACIONES - Los Sabores Frescos de la Primavera
Cómo Crecer Su Negocio
PERFILES - CARNICERÍAS JIMÉNEZ
AZTECA BAKERY
BRAVO BAKERY
RECETAS DESTACADAS
SOLUCIONES CON PRODUCTOS DE BAKEMARK
BREAD AND BAKING - Bread is Back
CAKES AND DECORATING - The Fresh Flavors of Spring
How to Grow Your Business
Profiles - CARNICERÍAS JIMÉNEZ
AZTECA BAKERY
BRAVO BAKERY
FEATURED RECIPES
bake - March 2019 - bake - March 2019
bake - March 2019 - bake - March 2019
bake - March 2019 - 2
bake - March 2019 - Editor's Note
bake - March 2019 - 4
bake - March 2019 - 5
bake - March 2019 - Contents
bake - March 2019 - 7
bake - March 2019 - Technical Corner - BLENDING FLOURS FOR FLAVOR
bake - March 2019 - Practical Marketing - Demonstration Pavilion
bake - March 2019 - 10
bake - March 2019 - 11
bake - March 2019 - 12
bake - March 2019 - 13
bake - March 2019 - Equipment Innovations - Milestones in Mixing
bake - March 2019 - 15
bake - March 2019 - Global Inspirations from Sirha
bake - March 2019 - 17
bake - March 2019 - 18
bake - March 2019 - 19
bake - March 2019 - 20
bake - March 2019 - 21
bake - March 2019 - 22
bake - March 2019 - 23
bake - March 2019 - bake a BETTER WORLD
bake - March 2019 - 25
bake - March 2019 - 26
bake - March 2019 - 27
bake - March 2019 - Chocolate & Decorating - Back to Nature
bake - March 2019 - 29
bake - March 2019 - Cakes - Wedding & Spring Trends
bake - March 2019 - 31
bake - March 2019 - 32
bake - March 2019 - 33
bake - March 2019 - Sweet Goods - INNOVATION IN SESSION
bake - March 2019 - 35
bake - March 2019 - 36
bake - March 2019 - 37
bake - March 2019 - Breads - Breakfast Drives GLOBAL GROWTH
bake - March 2019 - 39
bake - March 2019 - 40
bake - March 2019 - 41
bake - March 2019 - Pastries - Pastry Hybrids 2.0
bake - March 2019 - 43
bake - March 2019 - Foodservice - NEW DIRECTIONS
bake - March 2019 - 45
bake - March 2019 - Product Showcase
bake - March 2019 - 47
bake - March 2019 - Classifieds
bake - March 2019 - Ad Index
bake - March 2019 - Formula of the Month
bake - March 2019 - 51
bake - March 2019 - 52
bake - March 2019 - BLANK - 1
bake - March 2019 - BLANK - 2
bake - March 2019 - BAKEMARK'S PANADERIA - MARCH 2019
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 2
bake - March 2019 - CARTA DE INTRODUCCIÓN
bake - March 2019 - INTRODUCTORY LETTER
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 5
bake - March 2019 - PAN Y HORNEO - El Pan Vuelve a Estar de Moda
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 7
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 8
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 9
bake - March 2019 - PASTELES Y DECORACIONES - Los Sabores Frescos de la Primavera
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 11
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 12
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 13
bake - March 2019 - Cómo Crecer Su Negocio
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 15
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 16
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 17
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 18
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 19
bake - March 2019 - PERFILES - CARNICERÍAS JIMÉNEZ
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 21
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 22
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 23
bake - March 2019 - AZTECA BAKERY
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 25
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 26
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 27
bake - March 2019 - BRAVO BAKERY
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 29
bake - March 2019 - RECETAS DESTACADAS
bake - March 2019 - SOLUCIONES CON PRODUCTOS DE BAKEMARK
bake - March 2019 - BREAD AND BAKING - Bread is Back
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 33
bake - March 2019 - CAKES AND DECORATING - The Fresh Flavors of Spring
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 35
bake - March 2019 - How to Grow Your Business
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 37
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 38
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 39
bake - March 2019 - Profiles - CARNICERÍAS JIMÉNEZ
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 41
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 42
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 43
bake - March 2019 - AZTECA BAKERY
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 45
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 46
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 47
bake - March 2019 - BRAVO BAKERY
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 49
bake - March 2019 - FEATURED RECIPES
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 51
bake - March 2019 - PAN - 52
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