New owner hopes to revive Bridgeport Bakery

It’s a marriage made in Bridgeport.

A Chinese American neighborhood native is breathing new life into Bridgeport Bakery, a must-stop for Polish pastries that closed in the fall after nearly 50 years in business.

New owner Can Lao says he wants to uphold the bakery’s legacy and hopes to reopen by Paczki Day, which falls on Feb. 25 this year.

Helping him get there is former owner Ronald Pavelka, who closed the bakery in October after having gone through quadruple bypass surgery.

“All of the old bakers are coming back, too,” Lao said Thursday. “This is my first bakery, so I want to make sure I learn the foundation of running one.”

Lao plans on adding Chinese pastries once the bakery, at 2907 S. Archer Ave., is up and running again.

“I want to serve Chinese goods soon. I want to serve my community, but I also want to make sure everything goes right,” Lao said.

According to the latest census estimates, 39% of Bridgeport residents identify as Asian, 33% as white and 23% as Latino.

Carlos Ballesteros is a corps member of Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of Chicago’s South Side and West Side.