As the Trump administration imposes high import duties on certain U.S. trading partners, Dobra Bielinski is concerned about the price of chocolate, coffee, and other goods imported from Mexico and Canada.
PORTAGE PARK — In spite of President Donald Trump’s new trade war and the rising prices of eggs and other food essentials, customers waited in line Tuesday at a well-known bakery in the Northwest Side that is known for its assortment of paczki flavors.
For the past 27 years, neighbors looking for both classic Polish pastry flavors, such plum butter, and more unusual ones, like vodka and vanilla bean custard, have frequented Delightful Pastries, located at 5927 W. Lawrence Ave.
Owner Dobra Bielinski stated, “We’ve had Printers Row Brewing order the Jameson whiskey with chocolate custard paczki they’re going to serve with one of their beers.”
Members of Chicago’s Polish diaspora introduced the city to the springtime treat, paczki, which is usually eaten before the start of the Catholic Lenten season. Chicagoans of all faiths now participate in the custom, which has transcended its religious origins, frequently placing orders weeks before Fat Tuesday.
“I am a Paczki by blood.” Ursula Piechowski, a customer, stated, “It’s been since I was a child.” “I’ve always missed it.”
In order to keep up with Fat Tuesday’s rush, Bielinski and her employees hurried back and forth, replenishing display cases and requesting that clients complete order forms.
Georgena Hurst, proprietor of Sunny Village Cafe, was also waiting in line on Tuesday. The croissants from Bielinski’s bakery are among the baked items she often orders for her cafe, which is located at 5918 W. Lawrence Ave., directly across the street, she said.
Hurst said, “But we’re also selling paczkis today.” “I’m here to get paczkis for myself and my family, but I already picked them up for the cafe.”
Born in Lubin, Poland, Bielinski went to the Sorbonne University in Paris to study French. She fell in love with Parisian pastries while she was there. She established Delightful Pastries in 1998 after completing her studies in culinary arts.
It irritates me when bakeries create regular donuts all year long and then label them paczki on Fat Tuesday, even though it’s simply their normal donut,” Bielinski remarked.
According to her, the ingredients for a normal donut include water, flour, yeast, and a small amount of sugar, salt, and other flavorings.
Bielinski said, “But paczki’s has a lot more expensive ingredients.” This includes, depending on the flavor, butter, eggs, milk, chocolate, vanilla, oils from lemons or oranges, and even rum.
Bielinski has had to increase prices by roughly 10% due to the rising cost of supplies, she said.
“Egg prices have increased by almost 350 percent, but we’re trying not to go overboard with them. Thus, have flour, sugar, butter, and so on,” Bielinski remarked.
In January, the average price of eggs reached a record high of $4.95 a dozen. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, prices may increase by over 40% this year.
According to Bielinski, “I’ve also seen people ordering less.” As in the past, some people would order a dozen or more paczkis. No, only eight or nine are being ordered
She initially noticed this trend over the winter break. According to Bielinski, regular clients who usually placed large orders for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s parties placed smaller orders for breads, pies, or cakes than they usually would have.
“I seen individuals going completely crazy following the most recent elections. They are quite terrified of what will occur and what the White House will do, Bielinski stated.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted President Trump’s midnight tariff announcement against China and their nations on Tuesday.
Trump increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 20 percent and levied a 25 percent charge on imports from Canada and Mexico.
Wisconsin and other Midwest states provide Bielinski with her eggs, dairy, and other commodities, and she hopes that costs will eventually stabilize. She did, however, express concern about the price of the ingredients—like coffee and chocolate—that she and her suppliers buy from Canada and Mexico.
“Whatever became of free trade?” Bielinski stated. “Even though I’m only a baker, I can tell that your allies don’t like it when you mess with them.”
She also expressed concern about frequent clients who are reluctant to leave their houses for fear of becoming entangled in the Trump administration’s immigration sweeps.
According to Bielinski, “I’ve spoken to a lot of people, and there’s such a fear factor.” “I’ve heard from friends who are immigrants that they no longer eat at restaurants because they fear deportation.”
