Bakery contest- let’s raise some dough for Special Gifts Theatre

The last few summers, we have worked with Out Chicago in raising some dollars for Special Gifts Theatre, and it has been great fun and profitable for the organization. Ice Cream is fun, and quite enjoyable during the summer months, but what can we do when the air is cold? How about working the same magic with a bakery? But, not just any bakery. The amazing bakery that  is called “Hearts &Flour Bakery and  Cafe” , located just south of Misericordia, Heart of Mercy in Chicago.

“Hearts & Flour Bakery and Cafe”, has been open several years and has become the place to sit and enjoy a cup of Joe and something tasty. Misericordia has been running a restaurant on their home base, just down the street with great baked goods for many years, and when the opportunity came to build its own coffee shop/bakery/cafe, they gobbled it up and went to work. I grew up on Norwood and Ridge ( about 100 years from this building) and during that period , this was a convenient store , a few service operations and if my memory serves well, a restaurant. Now it is a wonderful facility with plenty of seating and a drive thru and parking for about 18 cars.

Why not do baked goods for the winter months. Those of you who listen to either “Out Chicago” or “Around The town Chicago” on Sundays , heard the challenge. It is Ellen and Scott versus Frank and I. Who will pick the best pastry? Today, all four of us met at Misericrodia Hearts and Flour Bakery and Cafe located at 6130 N. Ravenswood ( which for many is Ridge avenue) for our tasting. The bakery manager, Beth Woytek, prepared a platter for us of several items for the tasting. The donuts were left out of the mix as we are pretty sure that donuts could be a contest of their own.

We were brought upstairs to a private kitchen where Beth explained each item as she cut slices for us to try, and after each of the savory flavors, we were asked to drink some ice water in order to cleanse the palate for what might come next.

After a number of tastes, here is what we ended up with:

Scott: He selected the incredible Almond Croissant, but when we found that they do not offer that croissant every day, he switched to the Spinach croissant.

Ellen: her selection was the ham and cheese croissant. note: if I had gone first, I might have made that choice as well

Frank went third and chose a non croissant: the Morning Glory muffin. I truly found that delicious, but I am not a muffin person.

If you look at all the offerings, you will notice there were also scones, but I for one, am not a scone person, so when I was up, I looked at the flavors and items and selected the chocolate Croissant. Rich and chocolaty.

Here is the deal! Starting January 2nd ( Happy New Year everybody) for every one of these four items sold, Misericordia will make a donation to Special Gifts Theatre which will help students stay in the program. This will continue thru Easter Sunday , April 5th. We will keep you updated on this website and on both radio shows- Sundays

Out Chicago-  11 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Around The Town  1 p.m.-2 p.m.

Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery and Cafe is located at 6130 N. Ravenswood  Chicago

www.misericordia.org           773-973-6300