CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The pandemic hasn't stopped one Fat Tuesday tradition. Bakeries across Chicago are working hard to fill orders for paczkis, the polish pastry that is synonymous with the beginning of Lent.
Bart Kolatek, General Manager of Kolatek's Bakery and Deli at Grand and Harlem on the Northwest Side said bakers are working around the clock to fill online orders. Curbside pickup times are staggered to avoid crowds and to maintain social distancing.
He said the demand is intense.
"We dream about paczkis now, when we're sleeping," Kolatek said.
While demand for paczkis is still high, the way we consume them has changed. In a typical year, people gorge on paczkis at the office. Now people are ordering a box to consume while they work from home.
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Kolatek said paczkis became synonymous with Fat Tuesday, because they were an easy way for bakers to rid their pantries of ingredients before Lent.
"Lent's coming. Spring's coming. We have all these different things. We have all of these flours, and fats and different jams and alcohol and all that. We're not going to be eating that during Lent so let's all use it up," Kolatek said.
There's a little lull after Fat Tuesday, Kolatek said, before the bakery prepares for Easter.