Zettlmeier's Bakerei Sold—But Will Stay Open

A longstanding Tinley Park business won't be closing, after all.

Owners of Zettlmeier's Bakerei, 17016 Oak Park Ave., feared they would have to close the decades-old business, but have instead found a new owner for it.

Dee and Paul Zettlmeier will turn over the bakery effective July 1. But loyal customers needn't worry—the recipes and products will stay the same. As far as Dee knows, even the name will remain. 

In fact, Paul will help train the new chefs throughout the month of July, Dee said. It's a history rich with flavor that will continue, she said, in the hands of another.

Zettlmeier's Bakerei has been serving Tinley Park with "old school" customs and culture since the '70s. But the family's ties to the baking business reach back even further. 

Paul's father, Hans, started working in his uncle’s bakery in Germany at age 12 and learned the business. In 1962, Hans moved his family to the U.S. looking for a better opportunity.  His first bakery opened six years later on 58th and Pulaski in Chicago. Eventually, the bakery moved to 171st and Harlem in Tinley Park, where it aptly became known as Tinley Park Bakery. The location was in a shopping center that included a Jewel grocery store. Eventually Jewel bought the land and the Zettlmeiers found a new home for their bakery on Oak Park Avenue.

Hans' wife, Ruth, ran the front of the store, selling all of the baked goods that Hans made overnight. Today, Zettlmeier and his wife, Dee, have been delegated to the same roles.

Zettlmeier started a partnership with his parents when he was 23, learning all he could from his father. He worked under his father just as his father worked under his uncle so many years ago in Germany. 

He and his wife bought his parents out in 2003 when the elder Zettlmeiers retired and moved to Las Vegas. Now Dee and Paul will turn the business over to a different owners, whose name will be released at a later date, as they move to Tennessee to tend to their ailing parents, Dee said. 

It was a decision that brings a lump to their throats.

"I would love to thank all of Tinley Park, all of my customers," Dee said, fighting back tears. "They are wonderful people. And it’s definitely a sad thing."