BY MIKE PUCKETT

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Three Brothers Bakery has, conveniently enough, 3 locations in the Houston area: on Washington, in Memorial and the original location, which I visited, on Braeswood. If you have lived in Houston for any length of time and you haven’t yet heard of Three Brothers Bakery, then listen up! There is a story here and the story is good!

The tale of Three Brothers Bakery began in Poland. In 1932, during a bakers’ strike, two of the three brothers, twins Sigmund and Sol, began working at the bakery at the tender age of 10. When they were 19, Sigmund and Sol, along with the rest of the family, were interned in a Nazi concentration camp. On May 8^th 1945, the two brothers, younger brother Max and their sister were liberated from the camp as the SS fled.

On May 8^th, 1949, the 3 brothers, Sigmund, Sol and Max opened the first Three Brothers Bakery in Houston, Texas. They struggled at first, moving the bakery from Holman Street to Almeda in 1954 and finally to South Braeswood in 1960, where I stand today.

Three Brothers Bakery is so rich in history that you can feel it within the walls of this heavenly aroma-filled jewel which definitely adds to the experience here. You can taste the tradition, love and passion for baking in every single bite.

Although I am usually out eating at restaurants and sipping wonderful craft beers, today I find myself in this landmark Houston Bakery with a nice, cold glass of whole milk. Facing me is Bobby Jucker, son of Sigmund. Bobby, a jovial and charismatic man, is a 5^th generation baker. He has story after story about events that have taken place in the family bakery. Three Brothers Bakery has been no easy business, but it’s apparent this family works hard and does it the right way, no doubt the main reason for their success.

You know my love for desserts right? Well, Bobby put it to the test. As you can see from the photography, Bobby laid out a spread that allowed us to try almost everything they offer here. As it would take me days to give a detailed review of everything we tried, below is a list. I have never in my life even dreamed of eating so many baked goods in one sitting! But, I loved every sweet, delectable bite!

We enjoyed the following goodies, which you can see pictured above…Ginger Bread Man, Hamantaschen – Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cookie, Chocolate Pecan Drop, Cheese Pocket, Apple Turnover, Cherry Danish, Almond Sticks, Hamantaschen – Poppy Seed, Chocolate Brownie, Snickerdoodle, Black and White Cookie, Rumballs, Chocolate Ripple Fudge Jumbo Cupcake, Chocolate Dipped Macaroon, Two Petit Cakes Plain Bagel, Onion Pocket, Sprinkle Cookie, Lady Finger, Chocolate Éclair, Challah Bread and finally the Corn Rye Bread.

Doesn’t sound like much if you say it fast… Ha! It’s hard to pick a favorite as all were totally delicious. But the Ginger Bread Man, Cherry Danish, Chocolate Éclair, Onion Pocket, and Cheese Pocket, as well as both breads, were big stand-outs. Did I just relist everything I tried? Well, I could have, like I said it’s hard to choose.

Three Brothers Bakery is a family institution and a sweet part of Houston’s history. Not only is it a highly acclaimed, award-winning bakery that has been featured nationally on numerous magazines and television shows, but the owners are good people who have struggled through generations of adversity. They say nothing good comes easy and that is true here. Well, at Three Brothers Bakery, they have worked hard to make it easy for us to enjoy top-notch baked goods!

PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE PUCKETT