Penny’s Pastries
Le Cordon Bleu/Paris-trained Penny Shack operates Penny’s Pastries online. She’s one of the only Chicago bakers to use a blender instead of an oven to make vegan pastries. Rather than baking a traditional crust, Shack grinds dates and nuts to make pie and cheesecake crusts. She substitutes honey or agave nectar for processed sugar and melts ingredients like coconut oil under hot running water, versus in a microwave. Shack also makes traditional baked pastries.
(847)456-3100
pennyspastrieschicago.com
Best of Chicago 2010