Evergreen Park's Wolf’s Bakery Carries on Dressel’s Tradition

Wolf's Bakery in Evergreen Park sells its own version of the Dressel Classic chocolate fudge whipped cream cake.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

When I was a kid, you knew it was going to be a good time when a Dressel’s chocolate fudge whipped cream cake made its way to the table. Apparently, so did everyone else of my generation who grew up on the South Side or in the south suburbs.

The cakes were sold at the Dressel’s Bakery and were readily available frozen in most Chicago-area supermarkets. That is, until the company that had acquired the bakery closed up shop many years ago.

A few years ago, while I was still toiling at the SouthtownStar, columnist Phil Kadner wrote about the Dressel’s cake that we all so loved.

After some taste tests, it was determined that Baumann’s Bakery in Palos Heights had a cake that was pretty darn close to the Dressel’s original.

And now Baumann’s is closing its doors for the last time tomorrow. As sad as that is, it’s not the end of the line for the famed Dressel’s cake.

The Dressel’s Classic lives on at Wolf’s Bakery in Evergreen Park, which has been serving baked goods since 1939.

In fact, Wolf’s Bakery at 3241 W. 95^th St. has been selling its version of the cake for some time now.

“We’ve been selling it for a year or two,” said Nancy Dineen, manager at the bakery. “We sell quite a few every day. We make them fresh every day.”

The cakes come in one size, seven inches, and sell for $15.99.

“Each one serves from six to eight,” said Dineen. “I’ve eaten several. It tastes just like the old Dressel’s cake.”

Another sweet disaster averted thanks to the folks at Wolf’s Bakery.

The bakery is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

For information, call 708-422-7429 or visit them online atWolf’s Bakery.

TCBY Back in Orland Park

TCBY opened recently at 14658 S. LaGrange Road in the former Extreme Pita location in the Coopers Square shopping center in Orland Park.

The 1,400-square-foot location is the frozen yogurt company’s 15^th store in Illinois and replaces a store that closed a few months ago at 158^th and LaGrange.

Rami Kashkeesh is the owner of the new store.

Burger King Burns Down

Whopper fans in South Chicago Heights are out of luck since a fire earlier this week destroyed the longtime Burger King restaurant at 3219 Chicago Road in the southeastern Cook County suburb. No one was hurt in the blaze.

McDonald’s Closes for Renovation

The McDonald’s restaurant at 515 Ridge Road in Munster closed this week and will be torn down to make room for a new, improved state-of-the-art restaurant in the northwest Indiana suburb.

The franchise owner is asking customers to frequent his other locations in neighboring Highland.

A business owner in Lansing reported that traffic at the McDonald’s in that suburb had noticeably picked up since the Munster location closed.

The new McDonald’s is expected to reopen later this year.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.