Samosky’s Home Bakery is on a mission to keep classic Eastern European baking alive. “People don’t have time to bake the old-fashioned way any more,” says co-owner Erika Rockocy, who bought the bakery in 1994 with her husband, Michael. “We’re keeping up the tradition in a society that’s gone so modern.” In this kitchen, everything is made from scratch, and pre-made dough is sacrilegious. Automation doesn’t exist, other than a single sheeter, which flattens dough. Originally opened in 1910 in Slavic Village, the small Pearl Road storefront’s Old World approach and tight-knit staff of pastry lovers has earned a devout following. Loyalists travel from Mentor and beyond to let paczki and kuchen transport them to grandma’s kitchen table, Rockocy says. After all, it’s one of the rare places in Northeast Ohio to find prune-filled kolacky, Hungarian poppy seed rolls topped with raisins and other items that are waning in popularity but still beloved. Samosky’s even ceased production of custom cakes five years ago to focus on these offerings. And while her customers skew older, Rockocy isn’t worried about the future. “Millennials have showed a lot of interest in exploring these old-fashioned, fresh pastries,” says Rockocy. “People like us because we’ve stuck to what makes us unique.” 6379 Pearl Road, Parma Heights, 440-845-3377, facebook.com/samoskys-home-bakery
Our Pick: Samosky’s paczki ($1.25) has a soft, almost cake-like quality. While prune-filled is traditional, a bite of the chocolate cream feels like eating a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
