CHICAGO — There are plenty of ways a bakery can predict if business is ready to boom.
It can look at sales projections, market conditions, data analysis and a host of other things. But sometimes, it’s just in the air.
“You can drive through the city with your windows down, and when you smell the grills going, you’re like, ‘Alright, it’s started,’” said Tim Lotesto, senior director of national retail key accounts for Chicago-based Alpha Baking Co. “That’s when you know it’s bun season.”
For Alpha Baking, a producer of specialty bread, buns and rolls for foodservice and retail, the bakery’s products are in demand throughout the year. But from roughly April through September — affectionately known in bakery circles as “bun season” — it’s a whole new ballgame.
It was more than four decades ago that two cousins, Mike Marcucci, chairman of the board, and Larry Marcucci, CEO, launched Alpha Baking through a series of acquisitions involving operations in Detroit, and South Bend, IN, before rescuing MaryAnn Baking Co. from bankruptcy in their hometown of Chicago. Between the MaryAnn acquisition and Alpha’s 1982 merger with S. Rosen’s, the bakery took on bun production that has become synonymous with any sandwich requiring a bun, but most notably the iconic Chicago-style hot dog.
“That’s really what got us rolling,” Larry said. “It was then that we had the volume to really get things moving.”
That momentum led Alpha to a 172,000-sq.-ft. facility on Polk Street in Chicago’s South Side, where today it cranks out about 2 million lbs. of bread a week ranging from S. Rosen’s branded and private-label specialty loaves for retail, to French rolls for foodservice. But it’s also from where nearly every kind of premium hamburger and hot dog bun hits bars, ballparks, food carts and more — in areas ranging from Chicago streetcorners to grills across the US and North America.
“If you look back at our history, MaryAnn Baking Co. was a strong purveyor of hot dog buns — they were the best buns — in the marketplace,” said Mark Marcucci, Larry’s brother and Alpha Baking’s president. “We’ve been building on that tradition, and through the years, it’s grown to where we’re serving about 95% of hot dog stands in Chicago.”
So, what is a Chicago-style hot dog, and how exactly did two brothers and their cousin build a bun empire along with it?
Also known as a Chicago Dog, this specific fare includes a particular ingredient list, including an all-beef frankfurter, yellow mustard, relish, chopped white onions, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, celery salt, and, of course, a poppyseed bun. It’s a hefty load for the bun to bear, and that’s where Alpha honed its quality focus: Build a bun that can hold the Chicago Dog fixins.
Warmed in a steam table, a Chicago-style hot dog bun has to be pliable enough to handle such heavy fillings, and the key to that is in the hinge. Product quality is undoubtedly the foundation, and it was paramount to getting the dogs cleanly into consumers’ hands.
“It was the combination of the quality of our product and the service of our sales team that has been the key difference maker for us,” Mark said. “In those early years, our bond with the restaurants was essential. Without our commitment to superior service and efficient distribution, our customers wouldn’t be able to compete, and we took that very seriously. So, our logistics and service teams have focused on getting buns to the customers on time with consistent quality. We take great pride in the quality of our products and the service that we provide, and our customers realize that it’s an advantage for them.”
For just about every handheld delicacy, the carrier is its unsung hero. Whether it’s a fully loaded Chicago Dog, a craft burger or an unforgettable gourmet sandwich, the bread is foundational to the experience. That’s especially true during the summer months when people hit the local pubs for a burger and beer or head to a stadium to enjoy a signature hot dog while cheering on America’s pastime.
This story has been adapted from the August | Q3 2023 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
