Silvek's European Bakery
Sylwester Pupkowski built his American
dream from wipped cream and chocolate.
That dream, achieved in Little Rock,
features a Continental flair. It folds in
French baguetts, Italian focaccia, German
Black Forest cakes.
The Pupkowski's aspirations were leavened
by his professional skills- ans even more by
work ethic that would have inspired
button-busting pride among the
Puritans,among America's earliest flock of
colonial immigrants.
In 1984, he arrived in the United States
with his wife, Irena, and firstborn
son,Peter,as part of a group of Polish
refugees. Although he also knew Russian,
German and a bit of Slovakian, neither he
nor Irena spoke English. Just two years
after reaching Little Rock, he opened
Silvek's European Bakery. His business has
grown every year since, buoyed by the
stellar reputation of his breads and pastries.
It sounds like a simple story;Hard-working
immigrant baker makes good.
But for anyone who moves to a new culture
with a new language and new
expectations, the story is never simple.
By Marcia Schnedler
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A Little About Our
Business and Owner: