Thousands of paczki going out the door this week at Bridgeport Bakery

A box of strawberry paczki at Bridgeport Bakery. The staff at the South Side bakery prepped around-the-clock for Paczki Day. | Mendy Kong/WBEZ (Mendy Kong/WBEZ)

Can Lao is running on two hours of sleep and his clothes are covered in a light dusting of flour, but even as chaos swirls around him, the Bridgeport Bakery owner seemed calm on Monday, the eve of Paczki Day.

Also known as Shrove Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, the holiday of feasting is akin to the Super Bowl for Chicago bakeries like this one on South Archer Avenue. By mid-morning Monday, there already was a steady stream of customers picking up orders of the traditional Polish pastry — available here in 22 flavors.