Situated on the corner of Maple and Davis Street, Bennison’s Bakery is reminiscent of another era. An illuminated vertical sign blinks on and off, and customers bustle out of the shop with white paper bags laden with treats still warm from the oven.
In fact, the bakery has been in Evanston for nearly 70 years and continues to attract a wide range of Evanston residents, from curious newcomers to dedicated customers.
“I think Bennison’s is different because they have a history in Evanston and people and their families have been going there for a while now,” Weinberg freshman Gautam Bahadur said.
Bahadur first tried Bennison’s baked goods during his dorm’s munchies. His experience made him want to try it again even though the shop is different from restaurants he normally visits, he said.
Larry Bennison opened the bakery in 1938, and current owner Guy Downer purchased it from him in 1967, according to Bennison’s web site.
Now in his 80s, Downer still comes in to the bakery about four times a week. His son Jory Downer also works at the bakery and has been recognized as a Certified Master Baker, the highest level awarded by the Retail Bakers of America. His father’s career as a baker inspired him to be a baker as well, Jory Downer said.
“It’s all I’ve ever done,” he said.
As the kitchen produces the bakery’s specialties, ranging from cupcakes to scones and croissants, the aroma of fresh baked goods permeates the streets around Bennison’s. Once the treats have left the oven, the baked goods are neatly displayed in glass cases and employees guide the customers through the sometimes difficult selection process.
“There’s a lot of things here that you can’t get other places,” Downer said. “As far as I know, we are the only place in Chicago making all butter cupcakes. Most bakers use a vegetable fat that’s been textured for that purpose.”
The family-owned business prides itself on providing customers with high-quality food, Downer said.
“We’ve always focused on quality stuff,” he said. “Even when the butter market goes high, we could buy butter replacements but we don’t. We’re using organic vanilla beans, we use a special butter for our croissants – we try to use the best quality stuff we can get.”
Communication freshman Laura Rodriguez first tried Bennison’s on a whim because she was close by and decided to buy their cupcakes.
“It was great,” she said. “The texture was very buttery, not dry, which was good.”
Jory Downer’s baking ability was recognized at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in 2005 where he was part of the winning team from the United States, the Bread Bakers Guild. The international competition is considered the “Olympics of baking,” and teams must produce a set amount of baked goods within an eight-hour time frame.
Jory Downer said the competition raised the profile of the bakery.
“I think it has really elevated the respect that the bakery has in the community,” he said.
There is even a sense of family in the Bennison’s kitchen – some of the bakers have been working at the corner bakery for more than a decade. Downer said he appreciates there are “such good guys” at the back of the shop.
“They came here not knowing anything,” he said. “I mean, now Efrain is a (Certified Master Baker).”
While local grocery stores offer pre-packaged baked goods, Bennison’s is all about tradition, Downer said. For the owners of the bakery, their kitchen is like home.
Downer said he even stays true to the baking traditions that define his childhood – his favorite memory at the bakery is making gingerbread houses with his father, a tradition they still continue.
