Rosy's family-owned bakery in Little Village is beloved by its customers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There are so many wonderful small businesses in Chicago, and many of them are family affairs. We recently made an early morning run to Rosy's Bakery in the Little Village neighborhood.
We found family, fun, and some terrific treats.
It was a quiet and rainy Wednesday morning, but inside Rosy's Bakery, things were hopping.
Owners Fernando and Eddie had been there since way early in the morning, and did we mention they're father and son? So how's that going?
"It's nice to have a family-owned business," Eddie said. "We always sometimes we get in the way. You know, we think differently, but family's family."
"He always knows better than me. So he wins," Fernando said.
"There can only be one captain in the boat, and that's him," Eddie said.
Fernando Vasquez has kept this ship afloat for 32 years. He bought Rosy's back then, not knowing anything about a bakery. He just wanted to own his own business, and get creative.
"We try to do different kinds of pastries, different kinds of breads, so the customer come over and they see something different all the time," he said.
And the customers are loyal. Take Mario.
"Every day, every day I'm going," he said. "Seven, eight years, I'm here every day, every day."
Michael is a newbie, checking out Rosy's on the recommendation of his best buddy, George.
"My best friend brought me here for the breakfast that I had to buy him," he said.
Michael was trying the pound cake. We asked him what he thought.
"You're making me eat on TV, and that's not cool. I'm fat," he said. "Tastes good. Yeah, real good."
Meanwhile, out back, a big reason everything tastes good at Rosy's is the people who work there. How do Fernando and Eddie keep them happy?
"Just treat them nice; the right way," Fernando said.
"We respect everybody here," Eddie said.
Carmen has been at Rosy's for years; Marisol, just two months, but already it feels like home.
"The community, the customers, and obviously my co-workers; especially the customers. They're always so friendly, and they always want to communicate, tell me about their backgrounds. It's something simple, but it's interesting," Marisol said.
There's a Little Village connection through everyone at Rosy's.
Fernando raised his family in the neighborhood. Marisol's lived there her whole life, and Eddie he lives right upstairs of the bakery.
Eddie didn't set out to bake cakes. He was heading to nursing school when he decided he wanted a taste of the family business. He just completed a special cake-baking seminar in Mexico.
"I was about 17 years old when I started making my first cake here," he said. "I love baking."
And he and dad really do love working together.
"I want him to do it my way. He do it his way, but he is better than me now. I can say that," Fernando said.
You can find Fernando, Eddie, and the whole crew along with their cool customers at Rosy's Bakery at 3237 W. 26th St. They all told us Little Village is a wonderful neighborhood, with a real family feel.