Brazilian bakery, farmers market vendor to open first location in Gurnee

A small family bakery that debuted as a vendor at farmers markets in Grayslake and Gurnee will open its first permanent location in Gurnee this summer.

The Authentic Cheese Bread Co. will open at 3900 Washington St. in Gurnee in late May or early June, according to owner, Thiago Maldonado.

Maldonado runs the bakery with his parents, Mauri and Sandra Maldonado. The family moved from Brazil to the United States when Thiago Maldonado was 15, and brought their culinary traditions.

"We're very excited and are hoping to bring a little bit of Brazil to the people of the United States," he said.

Among their specialties are pao de queijo, also known as Brazilian cheese bread, which is traditionally made with cassava flour. They also offer many international hand pies, including Brazilian empadinhas, coxinhas, which are cone-shaped chicken-stuffed deep-fried hand pies; and kibe, which is stuffed with ground beef and made from bulgur, a flour typically found in Middle Eastern cooking. The rest of the menu, which includes corn dogs and churros, can be found at authenticcheesebread.com.

Thiago Maldonado said his family business started in 2017 in a commercial kitchen in Highland Park and selling goods at the Grayslake Farmers Market. They have also been vendors at their hometown Gurnee East Grand Farmers Market.

Thiago Maldonado said the build out on their new Gurnee location is coming along well.

"We're having to do some changes to suit our needs," he said, adding they needed to redo the kitchen plumbing.

Thiago Maldonado said The Authentic Cheese Bread Co. will be at the Grayslake Spring Farmers Market on April 13. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays at 201 Center St.