Today we’d like to introduce you to Dobra Bielinski.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We are a local bakery on the Northwest side of Chicago that uses natural and local ingredients in its products. Over 70 percent of our products are sourced from the Midwest region. We make wonderful croissants, paczki and sourdough breads and our new venture is catering that we have added to our offerings. On Fat Tuesday our bakery is packed and it is totally insane.
Delightful Pastries has been in business for almost 20 years. I wanted to open a bakery that uses high quality ingredients and makes pastries that remind me of the pastries that I ate while travelling in Europe. My background is academic I was studying foreign policy when I went to study abroad for a year in France I fell in love with pastries and wanted to pursue a career that would let me make wonderful pastries.
I have been baking since I was nine years old. When my family lived in Vienna there was a wonderful sculptor living in our building who taught me German and how to bake. That instilled my love of pastries and baking. Living in France for a year and eating yummy treats daily there made me want to pursue it professionally.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road was not smooth, I did not realize the importance of having great support people. In the food business you need to have good PR which I should have started in from the beginning. Also the key is having a great accountant and attorney that will give you good advice but not fleece you in the process. Having a great hiring process and weeding out the bad seeds so that they will not mess with the rest of the employees. Those are the challenges in my opinion of running a small business today.
Please tell us about Delightful Pastries.
We feel strongly that all of our products must reflect our old-world, uncompromised baking style.
Each and every treat is made with only the finest fresh ingredients, including imported chocolates and homemade sauces, without preservatives.
The tastes and smells are made from real, all-natural butter, creams, fruits and vegetables that are procured only from small, top quality Midwestern farms and producers.
Our best kept secret is that we use very little sugar and let the all-natural tastes speak for themselves. In fact, you can close your eyes… take a bite of our Black Forest Cake and actually taste the fresh Michigan cherries in every bite.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have searched for an accountant that specializes in my industry. I would have talked to a marketing expert to come up with a game plan and had a designer to do the logo, website and packaging before we even opened up our doors to the public.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5927 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago IL 60630 - Website: www.delightfulpastries.com
- Phone: 7735457215
- Email: info@delightfulpastries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/223766109/delightful-pastries/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DelightfulPastries/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Warner Photos
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