Letizias Natural Bakery was started by Letizia Sorano when she moved to the US from Rome, Italy.  In Italy she was a Latin and History teacher to high school students, but once she moved to America she decided to pursue her true love: Baking Cakes.

Having never worked in Restaurants, her idea was to make Genuine Desserts which had the personality and taste of the ones that  we make at home, utilizing only simple all-natural ingredients: eggs sugar, flour, chocolate and so on, never cutting corners and never using substitutes. She uses no artificial colors, no preservatives or hydrogenated oils. Her Cakes and Tarts are hand made individually with fresh ingredients, everyday by Letizia and her team.

Letizia opened her retail store on Division Street in November 1998.  She wanted her space to be comfortable, but not fancy.  Letizia wants a place where people can get together, relax, put their feet up and read the paper while enjoying a great pastry, never feeling they have to dress up or look a certain way to come here, and always feeling at home.

Besides her delicious desserts, she also bought a used espresso machine, thinking that we could drink as much coffee as we wanted to, and that it would be a nice complement to our pastries.  In 2001 we were voted #1 coffee house in Chicago by New City Magazine.

Early in 1999, customers started asking us to make them lunch and dinner type stuff, so we started making olive oil flatbread for grilled panini Sandwiches and Pizza Rustica.  Over time, when Letizia finds a recipe she likes, we add items to our cafe.  In 2004 she wanted to offer more dinner type items, so she added Enoteca Roma, a little Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar next door to the bakery.