Bakeries filled with customers on Paczki Day

The doors of Northwest Suburban bakeries were given quite a workout Tuesday morning. A steady stream of customers left with armfuls of boxes packed with paczkis.

Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, is Paczki Day, named after the Polish fried doughnut loaded with scrumptious fillings.

For places like the Kolatek Baking Co. in Palatine, Fat Tuesday is very much like Black Friday for paczkis.

Co-owner Bart Kolatek the Polish deli sells around 15,000 paczkis. During the week prior to Lent, the focus is on paczki production.

“We actually have less bread now because they're literally just frying paczkis all day and all night,” he said.

The bakery uses authentic ingredients, including rose petal jam. Kolatek said his grandfather, Jozef Furman, would bring taped up jars of rose petal jam in bubble wrap from Poland.

One Kolatek customer, Alyssa Schultz of Rolling Meadows, left with several paczkis, including strawberry, blueberry and apricot.

Another suburban magnet for customers on Paczki Day is Central Continental Bakery in Mount Prospect.

Central Continental customer Marty Makielski of Hoffman Estates said he bought a baker’s dozen, including his wife’s favorite, custard. He said he gives some to people who serve them during the year, including a gas station attendant and a librarian.