The McDonald’s bun is a remarkable Greek-American bakery success story, rooted in the hard work, vision, and unwavering dedication of two men: Harry Tsakalos and John Paterakis. Their combined efforts transformed a humble Baltimore bakery into a baking empire, a testament to the American dream fueled by European tradition.
The story begins in the gritty streets of Baltimore in 1943, when H&S Bakery first opened its doors. The “H” stood for Harry Tsakalos, a Greek immigrant born in Pennsylvania and raised in West Virginia, whose early career as a truck driver for Athens Bakery led him to a fateful meeting.
There, he encountered Isidore “Steve” Paterakis, another Greek immigrant and the bakery’s owner. Their shared heritage and entrepreneurial spirit quickly blossomed into a partnership. This bond was further cemented when Harry married Steve’s daughter, Liberty, intertwining the two families and laying the foundation for what would become a baking powerhouse.
Harry Tsakalos, described by his grandson Michael Tsakalos of Hunt Valley as a man “happiest when he was working at the bakery with his family,” embodied the quiet dedication that built the company’s early reputation. “If he wasn’t sweeping the loading dock on Bond Street, he was asking the employees about their families,” Michael recalled, painting a picture of a hands-on leader deeply connected to his work and his people.
John Paterakis catapults H&S Bakery into the national spotlight
While Harry and Steve established the bakery’s solid foundations, it was Steve’s son, John Paterakis, who would catapult H&S into the national spotlight.
Born in Baltimore in 1929 to parents who immigrated from the Greek island of Chios, John inherited his father’s interest in the business in 1950. It was soon after that he made a decision that would redefine the family’s fortunes: a groundbreaking deal with McDonald’s in 1965 to supply their buns.
This was a bold, almost audacious move for a regional bakery, but John Paterakis was a visionary risk-taker. As he humbly put it, years later upon his induction into The Baltimore Sun’s Business and Civic Hall of Fame, “You gotta remember, I’m just a little Greek baker that got lucky.”
That “luck,” however, was the result of relentless ambition and strategic foresight. The McDonald’s deal, initially a handshake agreement, blossomed into an enduring partnership.
Today, H&S Bakery, through its subsidiary Northeast Foods Inc., supplies McDonald’s with an astonishing 2 million buns a day, making it the fast-food chain’s largest bun supplier in the U.S.
The company has expanded its reach to 23 states, producing over 100 varieties of breads, rolls, and specialty items, many still “hearth baked for traditional European flavor and crust,” a nod to their roots. The familiar sight of H&S’s fleet of hundreds of delivery vans and tractor-trailers on Baltimore’s roads is a daily reminder of their vast operation, employing more than 2,000 people.
John Paterakis’s vision extended far beyond the bakery
John Paterakis’s vision extended far beyond the bakery. He became a transformative figure in Baltimore’s urban landscape, notably developing the trendy Harbor East neighborhood. His development company, H&S Properties, spearheaded the creation of high-end retail stores, restaurants, luxury condominiums, and hotels in an area that was once a decaying industrial wasteland.
His son, Bill Paterakis, highlighted his father’s unique commitment: “He didn’t have a big house, he didn’t have a fancy car, he didn’t go on extravagant trips, and he had the means to do that.” Instead, Bill explained, “he sank everything he had into Harbor East. Not many people would do that and take that kind of risk on Baltimore…He was a risk-taker, he was fearless, he was a visionary. He wouldn’t look at why things wouldn’t work, he looked at how things could work,” he added.
Paterakis is also known in political circles as “the bread man” – not only because of his successful bakery, but due to his continuing support of the Democratic party and his political influence coming from his funding of candidates.
He invested much interest and funding into the community, as well as helping Greek businesses. There was a quiet and little-known side to Paterakis as he made many contributions to Baltimore’s Greek Orthodox churches as well as other community causes without wanting recognition.
H&S Bakery strives to live up to the expectations of its family founders
H&S Bakery, which began with “Harry” Tsakalos and Isidore “Steve” Paterakis in 1943, has been family-owned and operated without interruption from day one.
Now spanning four generations, the families have remained actively involved in the day-to-day management of the business, providing leadership in various positions across the company, top to bottom.
H&S Bakery says it strives to live up to the lofty expectations of our family founders—and to exceed yours—every day.
