Mother, Son Duo Try Hand at Italian Bakery

A Shelby Township man and his mother pay homage to their Sicilian roots with bakery that specializes in Sicilian goods.

A passion for cooking Sicilian sweets has led a Shelby Township man and his mother to the doorsteps of an authentic Italian bakery in Romeo. After just one month of finding the perfect spot to turn out delicatble sweets, Tom Passalacqua and his mother, Paula Passalacqua, of Macomb, opened the doors to Paula's Creations of Italy, at 67310 Van Dyke, on March 2.  Tom Passalacqua said he and his mother always dreamed of opening a bakery in the area that specilized in Sicilian sweets such as cannolis, pignolata and S-cookies, to name a few.

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Business Buzz

New Patty Cakes Bakery Popular with Sweet-Toothed Adults

Patty Duggar is living out her sweet retirement dreams in the kitchen of Shelby's newest bakery.

Patty Cakes, Shelby Township’s newest bakery, has four bakers’ women. The owner, whose name is actually Patty, had a little fun with the bakery’s name, playing off the old English nursery rhymes, before she decided that times have changed and enlisted the help of four bakers’ women. Patty Duggar, a retired Utica Community Schools special education teacher, opened the bakery on 23 Mile Road and M-53, right in front of the Wal-Mart with the hopes of baking fresh goodies that have always been a family favorite. Duggar, a Shelby Township resident who is originally from the south, noticed the city was in need of a good ol’ fashioned bakery that specialized in homemade cupcakes, banana pudding pies and cakes. Duggar and her three cake decorators…

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Joe Foodie

Where to Get Your Fat Tuesday Paczki Fix

Fat Tuesday is March 8. Of course, that means Paczki Day around here. Patch tells you where to find a box of these heavenly balls of dough.

For my entire precollege education I went to Catholic schools. Where I went doesn't matter, but what should be noted is the Catholic tradition of fasting during Lent, but feasting before. Paczki have a special place in my heart. I'm not referring to the physical place in my arteries each cholesterol-laden dough ball calls home. The anticipation of delivery was similar to Christmas morning. Paczki (pronounced 'poonch-ki') were delivered to school by Hamtramck's Sweetheart Bakery. We'd buy them by the dozen. Raspberry. Strawberry. Custard. Lemon. Prune. In grade school, eating three paczki in a sitting was nothing. Fat, sugar, flour and fruit, these were more than doughnuts. With Lent starting the next day, some vice (as much as a kid could …

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