Roeser's Bakery is a

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who ...

located at 3216 W. North Ave. in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. It is credited as being the oldest family-owned bakery in Chicago.

History

John Roeser Sr. arrived in the United States from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1905 and settled in Humboldt Park, a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

in Chicago, Illinois. In 1911, John opened Roeser's

Bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who ...

downtown Chicago ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

. In 1936, John Sr. handed down the

to his son, John Roeser Jr. and his wife Barbara. Years later, in the

1970s File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War i ...

, Roeser's Bakery was handed down to John Roeser III and his wife, Deb. When John Roeser III took over the bakery, Humboldt Park still had a lot of crimes. John III knew how to draw many different

gang signs A gang signal, also known as a gang sign, is a verbal or visual way gang members identify their affiliation. This can take many forms including slogans, hand signs, colored clothing and graffiti. The wearer usually favors, or is in, that part ...

because the gangs paid a lot of money to have custom cakes. Roeser's Bakery was a neutral space in the

even when crimes happened. John Roeser III believed that as long as he treated people with respect, they will do the same back. John Roeser IV started in the bakery at the age of ten. Just like every other owner before him, he started his work cleaning floors, washing dishes, and putting cakes in boxes. As he gains more experience, he will be allowed to decorate the cakes.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.roeserscakes.com/ Bakeries of the United States Buildings and structures in Chicago 1911 establishments in Illinois Restaurants in Chicago