Before Kerrie Breuer opened Fat Peach Bakery in Bridgeport, she was an award-winning baker and cake decorator who blew the competition away in 2022 on Amazon Studios’ Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge. Two years later, Breuer and her husband, David Castillo, brought what Saturday Night Live calls the Big Dumb Line, a phenomenon that tends to happen most often on the North Side, to Bridgeport.

At Fat Peach, lines of eager pastry lovers convene on a stretch of Archer Avenue that was typically quiet and residential. Fat Peach has given Bridgeport a destination bakery, with a focus on beautifully laminated sweet and savory pastries.

As she enjoyed success, Breuer has opened up about life as a person with a limb difference and as a mother of a newborn. The couple discovered Breuer was pregnant in August 2024, just before the business opened, and she gave birth in April. As parents of a new baby and first-time business owners, there are fresh challenges to face every day. “Honestly, we’re just taking everything day by day, because I try not to think too far into the future,” Breuer says. “You know, things change pretty quickly. I will say that all of my time is accounted for. I definitely try to find balance where I can, but yeah, we’re pretty busy.”

Raised as an adoptee in Minot, North Dakota, Breuer learned how to deal with her difference in a world that doesn’t always cater to those who are different. Breuer is without a left hand due to being born with amniotic band syndrome. She recounts how her mother found inspiration by reading an article about a woman living in Greece with a limb difference.

“Her mom treated her like everyone else and basically just told her that, you know, you can do whatever you want to do. It might look a little different, but you can do anything you set your mind to. And that’s kind of the mindset that she had when she was raising me, and I think that without that sort of upbringing, I don’t think I would be who I am today.”

Breuer adds: “There wasn’t any social media, and I didn’t really see anyone like me on TV, and I never really met anyone like me in person. I was very fortunate to get to have parents that took everything in stride.”

A Chicago Pastry Chef Opens Up on Limb Difference and New Motherhood

Practice has been a key to finding success for Breuer, knowing that she looks different while whisking ingredients in a bowl compared to someone with two hands. “You know, I might hold things a little bit differently. If I’m stirring something in a really large bowl, I might hug it close to my body so that I actually have some stability, or I’ll put like a rag underneath it. Other than that, I don’t use adaptive tools. I was born without a hand, so I’m totally used to working without it.”

Those experiences have taught her it’s OK to fail, and Breuer wants others in the disabled community to understand they’re not alone: “The more you put yourselves in situations where you’re learning something new, the more confident that you’re going to be trying something later,” she says.

Fat Peach Bakery replaced Bridgeport Bakery, a neighborhood staple for 50 years, which briefly reopened under new ownership and became Bridgeport Bakery 2.0 before closing in 2021. Both were best known for cookies and for paczkis, with long lines forming on Fat Tuesdays. Fat Peach Bakery chose a different approach, focusing on sourdough-based, fancy, flaky pastries with unexpected fillings, and a surprise approach to their ever-changing weekly menu. Castillo and Breuer were inspired by Mexican café culture and a desire to create a workplace that nurtured their employees as well as the neighborhood.

“We were both at a point in our careers where we felt like it was time to try to work for ourselves,” Breuer says. “There was a ton of self-doubt, but we really love Bridgeport and we wanted to bring something special to the neighborhood.”

So, how does it all work, being new parents and running a popular bakery? Fat Peach keeps a system in place that allows for flexibility and creativity. Castillo is a rare pastry chef with savory and sweet experience, and that gives him an advantage when he’s not making the dough or involved with lamination. Breuer comes during weekend mornings to help them finish pastries. Their baby is growing up steeped in pastry and delicious smells, right there in the kitchen with them as they complete the offerings for the week. “He sleeps in his carrier sometimes or I’ll just like, baby wear him. And then I just work on projects that I can do while wearing a baby in the kitchen. It’s a pretty close-knit team in a very small kitchen, so we’re all very aware of him.”

For now, Breuer’s balancing motherhood and working a few days of the week, while Castillo takes on a heavier workload with baking and running the business. “We kind of just pass off responsibilities as needed. Communication is key.”

“David works on the dough at the beginning of the week, and then I kind of do like the random little things that need to be done, like taking inventory and ordering things,” Breuer says. “And then Cecilia does a lot of our fillings, and then I kind of help her out where I can.”

A key hire was Cecilia Iwata, an expert pastry cook who is essential to their kitchen but also helps with customers and other front-facing tasks. Now, instead of just Castillo and Breuer, thanks to their immediate success, they’ve hired additional staff, including assistant bakers and a dishwasher.

“Cecilia is probably like, honestly… Cecilia is like my left hand,” says Breuer with a laugh. “She’s been with us since day one, so she kind of does a little bit of everything.”

Their growing crew includes a dishwasher, a few pastry cooks, and hopefully more to come in time as they expand their small business. Breuer relishes the prospect of building a healthy work environment where their staff can thrive and enjoy their creativity: “I feel very lucky to have them. I don’t think we could get it done without them,” she says.

A Canadian chef ran a cheekily named YouTube channel, Stump Kitchen, producing videos sharing her journey. But there are few visible role models in the kitchen space who face the same challenges. Now, almost a year after opening, Breuer is seizing her own platform and wants people to know and understand more about finding success with limb differences. She doesn’t want people to underestimate members of the community, especially youngsters.

“There have been a couple of kids that have come into our bakery, and I’m sure they don’t really see as many people like them,” she says. “So if I can sort of spread awareness about what people with limb differences can be capable of, yes. That can be a really positive thing.”

She adds: “Especially if you’re a kid, try everything at least once and don’t be worried if the process looks different than everyone else. Like, I might hold a bowl different while I’m whisking something than someone with two hands. Just don’t be afraid to try something at least once.”