For more than 40 years, Bob Talerico has built a bakery empire in Summit.
While Paczki season is one of the busiest times of the year, Talerico Bakery and its 560 employees operate year-round, supplying more than 800 convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores across the Chicagoland area.
The bakery prides itself on providing high-quality, fresh products for local events, restaurants, and wholesale customers, as well as in its retail store on 63rd Street across from Argo High School.
At any given time, the sweet aroma of doughnuts, cakes, muffins, pastries, cookies, sweet rolls, and coffee cakes drifts through town.
Talerico products are made in nut-free facilities.
Beyond the retail store and adjoining plant on 63rd, the bakery operates a Fresh On Demand plant on 60th Street, which has been in production for seven years. This facility enables mass production for distribution beyond the immediate area.
The Freeze Thaw concept allows retailers to stock frozen, fully finished bakery items that can go straight from freezer to shelf, ensuring consistent availability with minimal in-store labor.
Chris Goebel, general manager at Talerico Bakery, said the company produces 12,500 dozen Paczki during the season.
“We feature 18 Paczki flavor combinations. At the 60th Street plant, we produce 300 slices of pound cake a minute, 1,200 doughnut holes a minute, and between 300 to 500 doughnuts a minute, depending on size,” Goebel said.
To meet demand, the bakery relies on industrial-sized mixers that can handle up to 1,200 pounds of dough or batter at a time.
Bob Talerico is always looking ahead.
“Sometimes I can’t get through the door, so we are working on a new retail bakery store in 2026 west of our current store on 63rd Street,” Talerico said. “It will be double the size and will not only have the bakery products we’re known for, but we will expand our Italian and Mexican treats, as well as our gourmet coffee selection.”
In addition to selling through local gas stations and convenience stores, Talerico Bakery makes celebration cakes for McDonald’s nationwide in chocolate and yellow cake.
“We used to make their apple fritters and blueberry muffins,” Talerico said.
The company delivers fresh products to 7-Eleven locations in a five-state area, as well as to Thorntons, Circle K, and Speedway.
Despite its high-volume production, the bakery remains focused on quality.
“We produce about 1 million doughnuts a day,” Talerico said. “We used to bake for Starbucks before they bought their own bakery. We are constantly staying on top of innovations and working to make our product last longer.”
With endless sweet treat possibilities, Talerico Bakery’s retail store is sure to satisfy any craving.
For more information, visit talericobakery.com or call the retail store at 708-594-9844.
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