Chicago bakeries open early on Paczki Day as crowds pick up Fat Tuesday treats

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's Fat Tuesday, which in Chicago and the suburbs means it's Paczki Day!

Lots of people are lined up bright and early on this Fat Tuesday to grab their delicious Polish doughnuts at Weber's Bakery on Archer Avenue.

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"My mom is going to be 91 on Sunday," paczki lover Rachelle Nirch said. "The only thing she wanted for her birthday were paczki. "I was here at 4 in the morning waiting in line and of course some people at work wanted some too."

Before dawn, scores of people lined up for the sweet treat which is a staple in celebrating before Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday.

"I came last year and they were out of a tone of flavor so I'm like I'm going to be here around 4 o'clock this year," paczki lover Joe Zalewski.

Paczki are a traditional deep fried polish doughnut, usually filled with jam, cream filing or fruit and topped with powdered sugar or glaze.

Weber's Bakery baked literally thousand of Paczki. Rebecca Weber runs the family business with her dad.

"We make the traditional jelly kind, we make traditional poppyseed, but we also have some crème flavored and some specialty flavors fresh fruit and cannoli and all kind of different things," Rebecca Weber said. "It's fun. It's a lot."

Those at the bakery say the excitement just gets bigger and bigger every year, something that Liz Novak will miss. She's retiring after working at the Southwest Side bakery for 40 years.

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"I worked with Michael Weber's dad, Becky's grandfather," Novak said. "The changes are just. Every year it gets better and better."

The bakery opened since Thursday to meet demand. It will stay open until 3 p.m. or until they run out of paczki.