Jarosch Bakery

Jarosch Bakery, Inc. was established in the northwest Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, in October of 1959 by the father and son team of George and Herbert Jarosch, with their wives Kathe and Betty. With two additional bakers, they opened their doors in the brand new strip mall at the corner of Arlington Heights Road and Higgins Road (Route 72) as the homes in Elk Grove Village were just beginning to spring up. Much of the surrounding area was still farmed by the families whose names grace many of Elk Grove's major streets. George (Grandpa) emigrated from Germany in 1919 having trained in his father's bakery in Giessmannsdorf. George worked in several Chicago bakeries before opening his own shop on Diversey, near Central. Herbert followed in Grandpa's footsteps, working in the family bakery, serving as a baker in the Korean War, and working for one other Chicago area bakery. With three children less than 6 years old, Herb and Betty partnered with the senior Jarosches to establish shop in the current location. The business grew with the growth of Elk Grove and the Northwest Suburbs. Grandpa retired in 1968. Joe and Dolores Stephen, former owners of a bakery on Lincoln Ave., then became partners with Herb and Betty. The business continued to grow, requiring several physical expansions in the production area. In 1987, the Stephens retired, and in 1989 Ken and Kathy Jarosch joined the business. Ken, son of Herb and Betty, and his wife Kathy are former engineers with McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). Ken grew up working in the bakery, learning from his father as well as the other skilled bakers. In 1993, the bakery expanded again when the adjacent dry cleaners relocated. The customer area was doubled and production area was expanded again. The newly remodeled store is bright and contemporary. Customers can now wait inside the store at Holidays. Sadly, in 1994, Herb passed away at age 64. Ken and Kathy continue to operate the business with the help of 50+ employees. Several employees have been with the bakery for over 20 years, providing the consistent high quality. Ken and Kathy have three children.