Farewell to Angel Food Bakery

In my teens, when I was still naively enamored with Food Network, I would pore over the channel the same way many people obsess over Game of Thrones today. Although I've expunged most of my Food Network memories from my mind, one that happily sticks with me is an image of a giddy red haired woman with a penchant for nostalgic Americana sweets. That woman was Stephanie Samuels and those sweets were made at Angel Food Bakery. The show was called Recipe for Success and I recall the episode as vividly today as I did that fateful moment several years ago, as I was just coming into my obsession with food culture. I thought about how sweet Samuels seemed, not to mention how sweet her Hostess-inspired baked goods looked and how lovely and adorable her colorful bakery was. I don't think there was a bakery in the country I was more eager to patronize at that point in my life. So it is with great sadness that I find myself writing about Angel Food Bakery's closing at the end of March. In a way, it feels like the loss of innocence and the closure of a very large part of my wistful heart. Angel Food was not just a Chicago bakery, but a neighborhood cornerstone in Ravenswood and a pivotal part of locals' lives.


Angel Food Bakery
(Angel Food Bakery)


Ever since that awe-inspiring episode of Recipe for Success (I honestly don't remember any other episode of this show, probably because Angel Food Bakery completely monopolized my memories for good reason), I was adament about getting into Angel Food Bakery and experiencing it for myself. After moving to Chicago from New Hampshire for culinary school, it took me a bit of time to find my bearings before venturing out of the Loop and into Ravenswood. When I did, the place was like a dream come true, emblazoned with kitschy Americana, lined with Easy Bake Ovens, and resplendent with all the sweets I could ever yearn for. There were housemade versions of every kids' favorite pantry provisions, from Twinkies and Thin Mints to Sno Balls and Funny Bones. I was in heaven at Angel Food Bakery. One of everything, please. And I was hooked. Over the years, Samuels has always been very visible at the bakery, constantly hopping in and out of the kitchen to engage with customers and dazzle diners with her radiant personality. The woman is like an Energizer Bunny of positivity, capable of making even first-time customers feel right at home. A large part of her philosophy has always been to foster a strong sense of community at Angel Food, something she achieved with aplomb, making the bakery more than just a neighborhood sweets shop, but a resolute keystone of comfort on the north side.


I didn't formally meet Samuels until a couple years ago. Ever since my Food Network-viewing days, I had this intimidating image in my head that she was like this big star and I wasn't worthy. I was legit nervous about meeting her, but once I got into food writing and I inevitably had the gleeful opportunity to start emailing her, I found that she was as lovely as I imagined her to be. I've never told her this, but I pretty much idolized her, and what a special feeling it is to discover that your idol is a down-to-earth saint of a human being; a nicer, more genuine and loving person I do not know. After getting to know her over the years, I came to view the bakery as a sort of homey haven, finally fully realizing the endearing charm that the place represents. Any time I would swing by for a cake ball fix, or a cupcake binge, or a "Junk in the Trunk" cookie snack, Samuels would rush out from the kitchen for hugs and jovial banter. She's always been a heartwarming lady on a heartwarming mission to deliver quality, nostalgic confections in whimsical arrays, and deliver she did. Despite Angel Food Bakery's imminent closure due to lack of funds, her radiant presence in the neighborhood will surely live on. Angel Food Bakery will be missed, but as far as I and many Chicagoans are concerned, Samuels has accomplished her own recipe for success.


- Matt Kirouac

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