A Vending Machine With Cakes In Burr Ridge

BURR RIDGE, IL — Sometimes that craving for chocolate cake comes at the wrong times, like late at night.

That's what happened to children's book author Tianna Gawlak not long ago.

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"My kids were talking about chocolate cake all the time," Gawlak said in an interview. "We were driving late one night talking about stopping to get cake, and I thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool if there were something like this available 24 hours a day?'"

That inspired the Homer Glen resident to become an entrepreneur, starting a business called The Bakery Box. On Saturday, she plans to set up her first such box at the Burr Ridge Village Center.

The box is a vending machine that offers a variety of cakes around the clock. It is planned for the lobby next to Starbucks.

Even though this is a new venture for Gawlak, it's not such a stretch. After all, her latest book is titled "When You Dream of Chocolate Cake."

As for the selection in the machine, she said, it will change monthly.

"This is a refurbished old-style vending machine," she said. "I'm torn on whether to call it an ATM or a vending machine."