Beginning his baking career as a teenager, Louis Kuchuris was 26 years old when he purchased Mary Ann, a small bakery located on the northwest side of Chicago.  Mary Ann produced a full line of breads, rolls, buns and pastries and became one of the largest wholesale bakeries in the Midwest, servicing restaurants, snack shops, drive-ins, hotels, schools and caterers.  Growing to service 1,800 food establishments with 75 route trucks.

In 1955 Kuchuris was selected as the first bakery supplier to Ray Kroc in his first McDonald’s located in Des Plaines, IL.

In 1969, Kuchuris built East Balt Commissary, an automatic bun bakery and one of the first “single purpose” bakeries, exclusively servicing 40 Chicago area McDonald’s with their bakery needs. Stressing product quality, customer service and satisfaction, Kuchuris has built a network of bakeries throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

What began as a gentleman’s handshake agreement has become a worldwide bakery operation.

Click on the images below to view .pdf files of the inductee’s biography and plaque.