After a break-in at SheReen Bakery, a women-owned Persian bakery on Howard Street, Madeleine England stopped by to see how the owners were doing. England runs Kneads & Wants with her family and wanted to know whether they needed a hand with production, equipment, or baked goods to help them keep operating.
The conversation turned to pastry. The SheReen team was working on a Persian treat that calls for laminated dough, and Kneads & Wants had equipment that could help. By the end of the visit, they’d talked about ways to collaborate and said goodbye with hugs.
England came back the next day with croissants for the team to sample and found an NBC Chicago crew there to tell SheReen’s story. When the reporter asked to interview her, she talked about why it matters for local businesses, especially women-owned businesses, to show up for each other. Sometimes that means sharing equipment. Sometimes it starts with stopping by and asking what would help.
We rise together. If you’re on Howard Street, stop by SheReen Bakery for Persian pastries baked in-house or ask about a custom cake.