Beyond the Bagel: A History of Simon Brothers Bakery

If you been in Chicago any time over the past, say, 50 or so years, and have had raisin pumpernickel or onion rye at one of Rich Melman’s Lettuce Entertain You restaurant; an onion pletzle at Ricky’s, Melman’s father’s restaurant; dinner rolls at the Palm or Carson’s the Place for Ribs or one of Gene Sage’s restaurants; Don Roth’s, What’s Cookin and Mel Markon’s restaurants; Jewish rye at the Gold Coin, or the “A Brisket, A Basket” sandwich (Vienna beef brisket, beef tongue, turkey, corned beef etc., etc., served on “cholly”) at D. B. Kaplan’s Delicatessen; then you’ve had the pleasure of eating bread baked by Simon Brothers Bakery, one of seven Jewish bakeries once located on Lawrence Avenue in Albany Park.

WEST SIDE BEGINNINGS

Bill, Ben, and Saul Simon, three Jewish brothers who came to Chicago in the early 1920s from Bialystock, Poland, first worked in a West Side bakery and then started their own bakery on the West Side. In 1952, they opened a wholesale operation and a retail shop specializing in Jewish-style breads out of a storefront at 3548 Lawrence Avenue. Each brother focused on one aspect of the business: Bill was the bread baker, Ben was the cake baker, and Saul managed the commercial accounts and drove the delivery truck.

According to an Albany Park News article published in 1983, the Simon brothers started out on the West Side of Chicago, first working in a bakery and later opened their own business.  It’s possible that the S. Simon who managed the B. Manischewitz & Co. branch bakery at 1828 West Roosevelt in 1921, mentioned in the article “Successful Chicago Bakeries” in 1921, was the same Saul Simon who went on to open the Albany Park bakery.

Simon Brothers Bakery is still in business today, though not on Lawrence Avenue. In 1984, a fire destroyed what had expanded from one storefront into three adjacent buildings on Lawrence, and current owner Mike Bretz relocated to an old Beatrice plant in Skokie.

EXPANSION UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

Mike bought into Simon Brothers Bakery in 1970, a few years out of high school. At that time, Bill Simon was in his eighties and was thinking about retiring from the business … sort of. Age wasn’t Bill’s only concern; he didn’t see eye to eye with Saul on some business issues, particularly in regards to Saul’s association with a one-legged bookie named Butch.

Mike was looking to do more than just take over Bill’s role as bread baker; he wanted to expand the business. Bill agreed, with the condition that within three months Mike had to master to the bread recipes. If he failed, he forfeited his investment.

After a stint owning Frances’ deli on Clark Street, Mike knew his way around a kitchen; however, he had never made a loaf of bread before. Of course, he didn’t tell Bill that, and quickly began learning the different bread recipes.

Bill was still of two minds about retiring. Sometimes, he would mix up recipes to undermine Mike’s efforts and break the three-month terms of Mike’s contract. One of the tougher hired bakers confronted Bill about his tricks and told him stop messing around.

Mike learned to bake all the bread recipes. He kept the bakery and eventually owned the entire business. He added space by taking over the Kosher butcher next door and a garage for the delivery trucks, growing the business to 350 commercial customers.

On the Jewish holidays, Simon Brothers Bakery was, Mike recalls, wall-to-wall people, with a line out the door. It was a lively atmosphere, with the elderly Simon Brothers constantly fighting, swearing and telling everyone what to do and how to do it.

 

FAMOUS FOR FORTUNE BAGELS

All those old Jewish bakers sharing their words of wisdom inspired Mike with the idea of Schlepper Simon’s Yiddish Fortune Bagel in 1983. Through an incision in a bagel they slipped a strip of edible paper printed with a saying in both Hebrew and English. Here’s a few examples of the sayings that Mike recalls: “Never give a hazar an even break,” “Smile, bubbeleh, success is assured,” and “Watch out for no-goodniks.” The story about the bagels with fortunes was picked up by papers across the country and business went gangbusters.

 

Mike isn’t Jewish, but he came close enough that Bill Simon once said to him, “When you die, they’ll have to find a Jewish cemetery next to a Catholic cemetery. They’ll bury your head on the Jewish side and your ass on the Catholic side.”

In his years of baking, Mike has met everyone in the business. While competitive, bakeries are also willing to help each other out. After the fire on Lawrence Avenue, Mike was able to work out of four other bakeries and never missed a route. In turn he shared his equipment and ovens with other bakers in times of need. Mike also has worked as a consultant to other industrial bakers.

In the 1980s, Mike’s wife, Kathy, who had previously worked as Assistant Comptroller with a savings and loan, also began working at the bakery in accounting. Today she continues to serve as liaison to their business accountants.

Mike and Kathy credit diversification as the key to the longevity of Simon Brothers Bakery. The retail outlet has been long gone and so are the Jewish specialty baked goods, but with a focus on frozen items, this 100-year old business from Albany Park is shipping cheesecakes across the country.