Canfora Bakery’s Sweet Aroma

Walking over the threshold of a locally owned bakerysatisfies the soul in a way that a trip to the bakery department of a big-boxgrocery store cannot. Whatever the reasonperhaps it’s the concentrated aromaof baked goods that only a tiny bake shop can generate, or maybe it’s nostalgiafor an earlier time when shoppers had to visit four different specialty storesto stock their kitchena trip to your local bakery can be a nice exclamationpoint for your day. A family-owned and -operated business opened by Rosa andCarl Canfora in 1981, Canfora Bakery on Oklahoma Avenue in Bay View is a dailytemptation for travelers using the busy South Side thoroughfare. They know thatbeneath the blue awnings and the Tower of Pisa sign, CanforaBakery is going to have something they want.

The bakery’s main claim to fame is its uniquewedding and specialty cakes, but the breads,cookies and pastries pulled from the Canfora ovens deserve just as much credit.The colorful contents of the bakery cases draw customers close: yellow jimmiessprinkled on dark chocolate, pink and green pistachio leaves, white powderedFlorentine lace and bright maraschino cherries cooked into the center of abuttery golden cookie, to name just some of the dozens of types of cookies. Inthe next case, you’ll find big, sugary, jelly-filled donuts, chocolate-coveredlong johns and flaky turnovers. The shelves behind the counter are stocked witha variety of breadsloaves, rolls,baguettes and bread crumbsbaked fresh daily. Along with tiramisu and freshdough, the refrigerated coolers have milk to go with all the sweets.

Just because it’s a bakery, don’t rule out Canfora’sdeli case. Bright red dishes hold an assortment of the usual suspects: creamycoleslaw and potato salad, bowtie pasta, green olives mixed with Tuscan peppersand a robust octopus salad. Made with freshly baked sub rolls, Canfora’s subsare above and beyond the typical fare one can expect from chain sandwich shops.Service behind the counter is unrushed as customers build their subs from avariety of cheeses, meats, toppings and homemade dressings. The soup of the dayis picked from a long list of more than a dozen Canfora favorites made fromoriginal family recipes, ranging from Italian wedding and ravioli tomato basilto Timberland bean chili and that reliable standby, chicken noodle soup. Eachday offers a hearty hot lunch special, such as roast beef with gravy on a roll,boneless barbecue pork rib on a Kaiser or, if it’s a Saturday or Sunday, apound of hot Badger baked ham with half a dozen free rolls.

If you need to stop at a store for some groceries,the supermarket is a one-stop shop with the convenience of ample parking andwide aislesit gets the job done. But it doesn’t have the unique personalityand charm of a neighborhood anchor like Canfora Bakery in Bay View, a cozycorner store where servers know customers by name and coffee is complimentaryon Sundays.

414-486-7747/ 1100 E. Oklahoma Ave./Hours: Tue. – Fri. 5:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. –1 p.m. n