Sweet Fans Of Kuppie's Bakery In Villa Park Rise To The Occasion To Help The Business Replace Its 80-Year-Old Oven
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In Villa Park, a beloved family-owned bakery rescued by its customers.
A major appliance broke, threatening the business. More than $56,000 raised in three days CBS 2's Jackie Kostek visited the sweet shop. For more than 15 years, many of the treats Kuppie's Bakery has cranked out have been thanks to an 80-year-old oven.
"If you want a great Danish, it's coming out of this."
The robust and retro oven, so much a part of the family business. He has a name.
"He's a dinosaur so I call him Dino. I will miss him," Hanrahan said.
Only now, about a week after Dino's bearings broke, sending trays of cookies crashing to the depths of the machine, has owner Dawn Hanrahan allowed herself to think about life without it. After all, she was preoccupied by the cost of replacement. The question of how a bakery can survive if it can't bake?
"I don't know. I've said all week, We're in the backseat, Jesus is at the wheel."
If Jesus is at the wheel, Kuppie's loyal customers are in the passenger seat, raising money as a way to return some of the sweetness. Michelle Steber, started GoFundMe for Kuppie's
"They have literally baked every item for my son's birthday, he'll be 13 this year," Steber said.
All it takes is a quick scroll through the comments of the Kuppie's GoFundMe page to see how much of an impact this bakery has had on the lives of its customers and for the family that runs it, many of those memories are wrapped up in the oven they now have to replace.
"If something happens and the rotating isn't rotating, you know you can crank it by hand which my brother did one Paczki Day for about three hours," Hanrahan said.
Hanrahan added that in this bakery, there have been more laughs than tears. And now? A warmth only humankind can create.
"It's insane how wonderful and compassionate an outpouring came out of this, in a time when there are so many things going on in the world," Hanrahan said.
Kuppie's isn't sure how much a new oven will cost or when they'll be able to get one but they're confident the money raised will keep them in business.