"Journey to the Southwest Suburbs along Harlem Avenue — which links towns like Bridgeview and Palos Hills — draws from a large Arabic population. For years, those communities have hired bakers to make halal cakes for their private events (for example, these cakes wouldn’t have gelatin). Now baker Wasfia Shalabi, a French-trained baker has opened up her own shop where she leans into trends like spiral croissants and brings a touch of Arabic flavors to her puff pastries and more." - Ashok Selvam