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Glen Ellyn, IL —
She’s always been an early riser, but these days, Sharon Ebl is behind the counter of her sister’s bakery by 6:30 a.m.
In her apron and white ball cap, the Glen Ellyn resident turns on some music and gets to work filling the day’s orders — mixing cheesecakes, baking sugar cookies with real white vanilla in the batter, rolling out fondant that makes her feel like a kid working with Play-Doh.
She’s always been a baker, so even at 68, the work comes easy to her. Standing for so long is tiring on her “poor old dogs,” but no matter how busy, she always manages to save a few cookies for any little ones who spot her at work, noses pressed against the shop window.
Since late April, this has been Ebl’s routine. Her younger sister, Linda Treadway, opened Dessertz bakery in downtown Glen Ellyn in October 2009. The little shop has bright yellow walls, polka-dotted tablecloths and smells like grandma’s kitchen.
When it opened, Ebl was there, helping her sister paint and fix up the building. She quickly became “the cookie lady.”
Now, she jokes, she’s become the “everything lady.”
On April 21, Treadway was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. Her doctors say she will be OK, but she spent 32 days in the hospital and had to close the shop to walk-in traffic. Since that time, Ebl has kept the business going. She carries a cellphone with her around the clock, taking phone orders for weddings, birthdays and bridal showers. She’s in the shop most mornings by sunrise to create whatever needs baking.
Treadway joins her when she can, washing dishes or sculpting flowers out of fondant. She wears a scarf over her head, covering a quarter-inch of white stubble.
Ebl doesn’t get sentimental when she talks about how she’s helping her sister. She says matter-of-factly that Treadway loves the bakery and wants to keep it afloat.
“I can’t just leave her,” Ebl said of her sister. “I’ve got to keep plugging along until she’s back on her feet.”
In addition to taking phone orders, the pair opened the shop last weekend and hope to be open most Saturday mornings, as long as Treadway’s health allows her to be in the bakery and help her sister handle customers.
“I can never repay her for this,” Treadway said. “The place would be gone by now ... if she hadn’t stepped to the plate.”
She’s always been an early riser, but these days, Sharon Ebl is behind the counter of her sister’s bakery by 6:30 a.m.
In her apron and white ball cap, the Glen Ellyn resident turns on some music and gets to work filling the day’s orders — mixing cheesecakes, baking sugar cookies with real white vanilla in the batter, rolling out fondant that makes her feel like a kid working with Play-Doh.
She’s always been a baker, so even at 68, the work comes easy to her. Standing for so long is tiring on her “poor old dogs,” but no matter how busy, she always manages to save a few cookies for any little ones who spot her at work, noses pressed against the shop window.
Since late April, this has been Ebl’s routine. Her younger sister, Linda Treadway, opened Dessertz bakery in downtown Glen Ellyn in October 2009. The little shop has bright yellow walls, polka-dotted tablecloths and smells like grandma’s kitchen.
When it opened, Ebl was there, helping her sister paint and fix up the building. She quickly became “the cookie lady.”
Now, she jokes, she’s become the “everything lady.”
On April 21, Treadway was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. Her doctors say she will be OK, but she spent 32 days in the hospital and had to close the shop to walk-in traffic. Since that time, Ebl has kept the business going. She carries a cellphone with her around the clock, taking phone orders for weddings, birthdays and bridal showers. She’s in the shop most mornings by sunrise to create whatever needs baking.
Treadway joins her when she can, washing dishes or sculpting flowers out of fondant. She wears a scarf over her head, covering a quarter-inch of white stubble.
Ebl doesn’t get sentimental when she talks about how she’s helping her sister. She says matter-of-factly that Treadway loves the bakery and wants to keep it afloat.
“I can’t just leave her,” Ebl said of her sister. “I’ve got to keep plugging along until she’s back on her feet.”
In addition to taking phone orders, the pair opened the shop last weekend and hope to be open most Saturday mornings, as long as Treadway’s health allows her to be in the bakery and help her sister handle customers.
“I can never repay her for this,” Treadway said. “The place would be gone by now ... if she hadn’t stepped to the plate.”
Still, as she spends her mornings sliding pans of cookies into ovens and adding fluffs of frosting to cupcakes, Ebl doesn’t seem to expect repayment. She’s committed to focusing on the bakery while her sister concentrates on her health.
Last Friday, Treadway was in the back of the store bending over dishes in the sink while Ebl was up front topping just-iced cupcakes with chocolate chips. They chatted about recipes and what flavors were needed for an order and bantered like sisters do, lacing playful jabs with love.
A shop visitor pointed out that Ebl was doing a good thing for her sister, but she merely shrugged.
“Aww, that old bag,” Ebl began.
“I heard that,” Treadway called from the back.
