bake - May/June 2021 - 27

meat and poultry processing), as
well as into international grain and
feed handling and processing, and
most recently, pet food processing
and the supermarket perimeter.
In 1921, initially working at Stetson
Hat Company, the Termini Brothers
(pictured on the first cover of bake's
current, award-winning design)
saved enough money to open a
humble kitchen and storefront. Termini Brothers Bakery
was born in Philadelphia. Within two years, Termini
Brothers became the go-to spot for wedding cakes,
allowing the brothers to purchase their first delivery truck.
Seventeen years after opening their small storefront,
the brothers saved enough money to move across the
street to a larger location - where Termini Brothers
Bakery currently stands today. Vincent Termini Sr. is born
in that same year. As WWII unfolded, the demand for
Termini Brothers fruit cakes being shipped overseas to
the frontline is insatiable, adding further to the legacy
and reputation of the bakery.
Rising in Middle America
In Chicago, Luke Carl recalls that when his wife's great
grandfather, Joseph Dinkel, came to Chicago in the
early 1900s, he brought with him remarkable baking
skills and recipes from a long line of master bakers in
southern Bavaria, Germany. He was able to open a small
bakeshop in 1922 with the help of his wife, Antonie. For
the first 10 years, it was Joseph baking in the back of
the shop and Antonie selling. Joseph's delicious baked
foods quickly became very popular throughout the city.
In 1932, as the popularity of Dinkel's baked foods grew,
Joseph and Antonie expanded the current location. It
was about this time that their son, Norman Dinkel, Sr.,
came into the business and continued to build the quality
reputation of the business. In the early 1970s, Norman
Jr. took over the helm of the bakery, thus embarking on
the third generation of the business. As word spread
of the bakery's quality products, demand for Dinkel's
baked goods began to come in from loyal customers
across the country (and even overseas).
" This is why I am proud to be a part of the Dinkel's
tradition (now in its fourth generation) and am so proud
to pass on this love of tradition to my children, " says
Luke Karl.
Started in 1911 by John C. Roeser Sr., Roeser's Bakery is
the oldest family-owned bakery still in the same location
in Chicago. The bakery is now in its fourth generation,
with John C. Roeser IV leading the way. Roeser's was
one of the first bakeries in the city to install a freezer in
the store and in the shop. In 1946, John Jr. installed the
neon sign that still hangs outside today.
When the bakery was remodeled in 1953, it was the
first all-Formica store front in a retail bakery. In 1965,
Roeser's became the first bakery with an air conditioned
shop in Chicago, which helped maintain the quality of
Roeser's now famous whipped cream cakes on those
hot summer days.
bakemag.com | MAY-JUN 2021 > 27
COURTESY OF TERMINI BROS., PORTO'S BAKERY
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - May/June 2021

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