Restaurant news: Pookie Crack Cakes in Bronzeville among 8 notable openings in Chicago and the suburbs
Butter pecan praline, caramel made from scratch and Pineapple Paradise are just a few of the flavors that have people lining up at Pookie Crack Cakes in Chicago.
“We don’t sell doughnuts. We don’t sell pies. We don’t sell cheesecakes,” said Dedra Simmons, CEO and owner of the bakery on the South Side. “We really focus on cakes.”
They sell out of that cake, which Simmons describes as a mini cake loaf, every day they’re open.
They’re not that mini, weighing in at about the size of a pound cake loaf. Big enough to share, social media posts show customers digging in to what have become personal-sized cakes loaded with sweet toppings from candied nuts to buttery caramel to fruited glaze.
“We have never made it to our closing time since we’ve opened our doors,” said Simmons, who’s also the head chef and head baker. She and her husband, Douglas Simmons, transformed the former Abundance Bakery in the Bronzeville neighborhood, which closed after beloved owner and baker Bill Ball died at 73 in 2022.
They celebrated the grand opening of Pookie Crack Cakes on July 16, 2023.
“We make small batches,” the chef said. “Roughly 500 plus cakes a day. So when they sell out, unfortunately, they sell out.”
That’s even with a new limit per person.
“Two cakes per flavor,” she said. “We had to do that recently to try to give everybody a fair shot at getting some cake.” With eight flavors per day, people are still walking out with bags and bags of cakes, she added.
“We wish we could feed the entire Chicagoland area,” said Simmons, who bakes with her daughter, mother-in-law and sister. “And hopefully one day that’s coming and coming soon.”
The family-owned and operated Black-owned business has drawn customers from as far as the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Dubai and India, many of whom have seen her cakes on TikTok, she said.
It all started with one Bundt cake flavor 10 years ago, sold in front of her home.
“My butter pecan praline is my signature cake, because it was the only cake that I made and sold for four years,” Simmons said. “I started baking the cakes in 2014.”
Her signature cake, which holds a hint of shredded coconut, commemorates her great-grandmother, Lucille McGee.
“I use her praline glaze on top of that butter pecan cake,” the chef said. “She used to put that on top of her bread pudding.”
A crack cake is nothing but a Southern staple, Simmons said.
“My great-grandmother was from Clayton, Louisiana, so she grew up on crack cakes and made them for us when she came to Chicago,” the chef said. When the crack forms at the top of the cake, she added, you poke holes, pour a butter rum glaze, and let it all seep in. “It’s nothing that I made up, I just took something that is considered to be a negative, and turned it into a positive affirmation of my business.”
Pookie is a term of endearment, she said, but people associate the word with a character named Pookie in the “New Jack City” movie, who was addicted to crack cocaine. (He was played by Chris Rock in the 1991 film.)
“It was very attention-grabbing,” said the chef. “And it’s like, now that I have your attention, come and get some of this delicious cake. “
They come, for eight flavors a day, but Peach Crack Cobbler and Pineapple Paradise are only available on alternating days.
“Because of the complexity of making those cakes,” Simmons said. “I make my cakes fresh daily the night before we open.” Fresh pineapple and peach toppings are finished in the morning, she said, and it can be a bit overwhelming.
After months of sold-out days, she closed the entire month of January.
“I had uterine fibroid surgery,” Simmons said. They work 12-plus hours a day non-stop, she said, sometimes six days a week, depending on catering orders, and eventually it catches up with your body.
She shared details on social media, and many women reached out.
“I had a lot of women reach out to me and say, hey, because you were so open and honest about what you were going through, it made me push forward with my decision to go ahead and do this,” Simmons said. “I suffered with my issues since 2016. Like I suffered.”
Fibroids are the bane of many women — especially women of color, according to a personal story by Tribune journalist Darcel Rockett in 2017.
Now Simmons feels “absolutely amazing” since the surgery.
“As women, we have to take care of ourselves,” she said. “We have to take the time to stop and say, OK, let me take care of me. Because if I’m not well, what can I do for the world?”
During recovery, Simmons came to a realization.
“We will be closed in January every single year,” she said laughing. “That will be our vacationing month.”
The morning that the bakery reopened on Feb. 1, the line stretched down the block, and they sold out in an hour.
The bakery’s awning does read, “One Bite and You’re Addicted.”
“People say, ‘What is the addictive part?’” the chef said. “I say you’re addicted to the love that we put inside the cake.”
Pookie Crack Cakes is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. until they’re sold out.
What’s the best time to come?
“Around 9:45 to 10 a.m.,” Simmons said.
Follow their social media so you can see all the updated information. And the delicious cakes.
105 E. 47th St., facebook.com/pookiecrackcakes
More new and notable openings, in alphabetical order:
Bittersweet Pastry Shop Pilsen
When James Beard nominated pastry chef Judy Contino founded her original bakery in 1992, her niece and current owner Esther Griego was just a tween. Bittersweet Pastry Shop Pilsen, which opened Feb. 2, marks a sweet new era in the family business. And savory, with a carnitas quiche with pork from neighbors Carnitas Uruapan, as well as conchas and more Mexican baked goods only available at the sister location by “Top Chef” Katsuji Tanabe.
2019 S. Laflin St., 773-929-1100, bittersweetpastry.com
Brasero
Executive chef and owner John Manion says his latest restaurant is not just another culinary venture. “Brasero is a full circle moment for me,” he posted on Instagram about the wood-fired and Latin-inspired concept, which ignited in West Town on Feb. 6. Get the moqueca (seafood stew), a classic hand-muddled caipirinha or feijoada for the table (with puffed beef tendon!) for $259.
1709 W. Chicago Ave., 872-342-2079, braserochicago.com
Joong Boo Market Schaumburg
The local family-owned Korean and Asian market has opened a fourth location in the Chicago area. Joong Boo Market Schaumburg celebrated its grand opening Feb. 1. Your inner ajumma will swoon over the house-made banchan and kimchi, the Wednesday and Friday sashimi platter special (now $30, but still a steal), plus the full food hall is still to come.
1111 E Golf Rd, Schaumburg; 847-230-0138; joongboomarket.com
La Grande Boucherie Chicago
Founder Emil Stefkov opened his first énorme steakhouse meets Parisienne brasserie in New York in 2010. La Grande Boucherie Chicago has been ouvert in River North since Feb. 17. Not a butcher shop, it claims to be the largest restaurant in Chicago, offering Les Grandes Formats meats from a coq au vin to a plateau du boucher (with a trio of dry-aged steaks) to a cochon de lait (suckling pig) that serves eight to 10 people for $600.
431 N. Dearborn St., 312-624-3014, boucherieus.com/chicago
Publican Quality Bread Oak Park
James Beard Award-winning baker Greg Wade once worked out of an unmarked storefront under the “L” tracks. Publican Quality Bread Oak Park finally unveiled the bakery’s second space, with a bright and airy seating area, on Feb. 25. The Big Sandwich made the move, plus pizza, pastries and beautiful sourdough bread.
211 Harrison St., Oak Park; publicanqualitybread.com
Sando Street
The former Phodega space has been transformed into a Japanese- and Korean-inspired sandwich shop. Sando Street began slicing in Wicker Park on Feb. 16. Order if you can, since they’re already selling out, an OG Tamago (egg sando), Ube Crème (strawberry sando) or “KFC” bowl (Korean fried chicken on rice.)
1547 N. Ashland Ave., 773-698-6475, sandostreetchi.com
Stefani’s Bottega Italiana
The venerable Stefani Restaurant Group and executive chef Vincenzo Vottero have brought a quick-service Italian shop and pasta lab to the Northwest Side. Stefani’s Bottega Italiana began twirling in Gladstone Park on Jan. 30. Say ciao bella to the chef’s award-winning tortelloni di ricotta, Roman pizza and schiacciata sandwiches with spicy soppressata, provolone cheese and giardiniera.
6075 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-657-6074, stefanisbottega.com
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