Original El Nopal Bakery Memories

10/02/2026

In 1965 I remember walking with my parents to Nerad's Jewelers that was two stores away from El Nopal and they bought me an Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch that had a ceramic figurine.

Years later I gave away, well my mom gave away, the watch to a cousin. I still have the figurine.

Watch picture from the internet. Nerad picture from the Chicago History Museum research center.

09/30/2026

In 1973 when my parents were looking for a new Bakery location on 26th Street, they went to a real estate agent. I was still in grade school. The three of us were in the office of the real estate agent. The agent had a laundromat that could be turned into a bakery. But there was another bakery already on that block. The agent said gleefully to my parents that they could put the other bakery out of business.

I looked at my parents faces and both were so distressed at hearing that. They did not want to put anyone out of business. They avoided that block.

09/28/2026

Over 10 years ago when my father and I with the night janitors worked around midnight, sometimes my dad would order Pizza Nova and soda for all of us.

Pizza Nova Pizza is so good.

09/22/2026

I always thought the baker in the mural looked like my father. I circled it. Someone told me they based it on people in the neighborhood.

Now I've seen only the bakers face has been repainted to someone else. Does anyone know why?

Pilsen Community Pilsen Memories

09/20/2026

My condolences about cousin Alicia passing. I remember her as always smiling and cheerful. God bless her, her husband Fred, her daughter Maria, and her brothers and sisters.

09/16/2026

The Chicago History Museum Cafe chef baked exclusively authorized El Nopal Bakery® Hojarasca® Cookies today. Based on my father's original recipe used at the original bakery and only at the museum North and Clark Cafe.

09/07/2026

My Mom Celia told me on parade day when she was in the bakery a boy 8-10 years old asked her for a job. He told her he could sweep and clean. My Mom said we didn't have any work but would you like a piece of bread she asked? He lived with his abuelita (grandmother) and brothers. He said "somos pobrecitos. No tenemos comida." ("We are poor ones. We have no food.") He said he would share the bread with his brothers. My Mom then gave him six pieces of bread and $5 for milk.

She then saw his abuelita outside who seemed to have poor eyesight the way she leaned on the door. The boy left, thanked my mom, and said proudly to her "Un dia se lo pago." ("One day I will return to pay for this.") My Mom had tears in her eyes as she went to the back of the bakery.

09/07/2026

FREE Chicago History Museum admission on these days in September, October, and November.

SEE the Chicago Fire look real in the diorama room.

WALK the same Chicago Bulls court red floorboards Michael Jordan walked in the sports room.

SEE the brave President Lincoln exhibit.

Pl***oy Club, vintage Trolley Car which is cooler than it sounds,

And More! Visit the museum cafe for the original El Nopal Bakery® Hojarasca® Cookies.

09/06/2026

My mom's niece texted me this.

09/04/2026

At Quigley South college prep, there was a party in the cafeteria for the seniors class of '78. They handed out mock awards with the prize being a cigar. I won this because we donated a lot of bread from our bakery.

09/03/2026

In 1966 this was THE toy store in Chicago. Bargain Town which later became Toys R Us. I went here in 1965-1968. I remember in 1965 we drove away at night on Milwaukee Ave and I saw the sign lighted up.

I used AI to colorize the black and white photo into night time.

09/03/2026

In the 1960s my parents and I would always go to the gigantic Sears warehouse on Central Park avenue and Homan. It was very close to 26th Street. Did anyone here go to the Sears warehouse?

Here are pictures I found from the Chicago History Museum research center. The Sears parking lot and from there we would walk across the street to the center of the building. We would go downstairs and the lower floor would have the budget store then on the other side a toy store, small boats, and lighting fixtures. Upstairs would be sewing machines, shoe store and other items. It was always very busy. I wish I could find pictures of the interior store section. There is a book about the Sears warehouse but it only shows where the workers assembled orders.

09/01/2026

The Chicago History Museum chef emailed me right now that she baked Hojarasca® Cookies today.

08/31/2026

It's better to be wronged than to do wrong.

08/23/2026

On July 4, 2003 the Chicago Tribune published a front page business article on our El Nopal Bakery inaccurately stated our sales as low all day on a Saturday at $30 without fact checking with us. Our real sales were a lot higher than that in the summer. The reporter wrote she stayed at the bakery all day but I never saw her when I was there in the evening. Fabricated quotes we nor our employees never said that business was bad due to gentrification which in truth never bothered us because we had customers from all over the city. The rest of the article promoted a new bakery that was connected to a TV chef (according to the Chicago Sun-Times) the Tribune always promotes. It was very surreal.

Then the Tribune reprinted it in Spanish and a local church reprinted it. The whole thing upset my mom. She became adamant that no one was going to force us out of Pilsen saying "50 years in business and for what?"

But my mom was also afraid the Tribune conglomerate could crush us.

About 3 months after the article was published my dad had a mini stroke that gave him vascular dementia. My mom took care of him but the stress gave her a mini-stroke giving her vascular dementia. I took care of both my parents. They were once fiercely independent but now extremely dependent upon me. I could not take care of them and the bakery at the same time. It forced us to close and sell property to pay bills. My parents died from complications from dementia.

After my dad had his mini-stroke, I asked a friend of mine who graduated from Harvard Law and was a New York Supreme Court judge if I had a good case. He said yes and then said
"Let me see how they do things in Chicago...(He confers with a colleague)... It's just as I thought. The Tribune is too powerful. No judge will rule against them."

He told me not to expect anything not even a retraction. He predicted correctly as our case was dismissed by a judge and my attorney said the judge ignored him. The New York Supreme Court judge read the Tribune article and said someone was doing a hatchet job on us. I didn't appeal because it was becoming expensive and I didn't think we would be treated fairly.

The Tribune wrote in their legal briefs that they were doing us as a favor.

In my opinion Mexican owned businesses were being targeted in Pilsen to force them out so the Mexican community could follow them out and their buildings and homes could be bought cheap.

The video is my mom reminiscing as she cried a lot for my father after he died. She was telling me when he was 10 years old he sold donuts barefoot in Mexico. My dad was born in Texas but when his parents divorced his dad took him to Mexico. My parents met at Jalisco Bakery and restaurant in San Antonio Texas after 1945. I said the wrong name of that bakery, it was Jalisco Bakery. My mom was the Jalisco Bakery new manager. I want you to know my mom was always well-dressed and wore makeup but here my mom was in declining health when that video was taken from dementia and renal failure. My mom died a year or so later.

El Nopal Bakery® is no longer in Little Village and Pilsen. No authorized El Nopal Bakery is on 26th Street Little Village. I did license our Hojarasca® Cookies recipe based on my father's original detailed recipe used at the original bakery to the Chicago History Museum who are wonderful people. I'm gratified to know only the museum has the original recipe so the authentic famous Hojarasca® cookies can be continued to be baked for Chicagoans. I asked for no royalties on sales so all the cookie profits can help fund their exhibits. They now have an exhibit called Aqui en Chicago showing a large photo of my father baking bread and wrote that my parents are Chicago Legends.

Thank you for reading,
Frank

Chicago History Museum

08/23/2026

08/18/2026

Free days in August at the Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park. The real authentic El Nopal Bakery® Hojarasca® Cookies are only available at the Museum Cafe.

For the cookies best to call first to reserve as they've been very busy with summer visitors.

(312) 799-2122

08/18/2026

1974 the buildings and Del farm that were across the street from El Nopal on Blue Island avenue. You can see the El Nopal sign on the right. Those buildings have since been torn down.
I don't remember those stores.

Photo from the Chicago History Museum collection.

08/14/2026

Gus' parents Antonia and Augustine. My Tia Antonia was my mom's sister.

My aunt trusted me very much. She wanted her entire jewelry box to go to her daughter Gloria who lived in Texas. It was very important to her. She knew it would take time for Gloria to arrive in Chicago for her funeral and she didn't want to worry about her jewelry. She asked me to open up a safety deposit box for her so I could give her jewelry box to her daughter Gloria after her passing. It was my privilege to do so.

08/14/2026

My parents attended a Cordi-Marian nuns banquet. They supported the nuns with financial and bread donations. Circa mid to late 1970s.

Pictured left to right:
Their nephew and bakery manager Gus Lozano, 18th Street businessman name unknown, my dad Francisco Bonilla, two nuns, and my mom Celia Bonilla.

08/12/2026

Interesting video. Reminds me of your amiga you follow. I was disappointed in your elderly amigas behavior.

08/08/2026

Very happy to hear from my relatives Becky and Margaret that they received the Chicago History Museum Hojarasca® Cookies I mailed overnight and that they loved the cookies. Their gracious thanks was very much appreciated.

I'm very proud to be associated with our only licensee the Chicago History Museum.