Sukhadia Sweets: Preserving family tradition, bonded by sugar

CHICAGO — It’s the final day of Diwali –a time for rest, family and of course, sweets. But on Chicago’s Devon Avenue, one family is breaking tradition to preserve it.   

It’s not uncommon to have family recipes passed down, but at Sukhadia Sweets, every single decadent treat can be traced back to a family recipe six generations back.

The Sukhadias are a family bonded by sugar and tradition.

“Diwali is the busiest. Three, four times more than usual. But we love it. We lot to see people happy when they get our sweets,” Dina Sukhadia said.

That sweetness runs deep. The Sukhadia Family has been in the business of sugar for more than a century starting in Gujarat, India back in 1880.

“My grandpa…amazing, amazing, amazing person,” Sneh Sukhadia said. “Even at the age of 86, he still is just working, working his butt off. … We had to like push him out, you know with love. … He’ll pack 200 boxes by himself, even at 86 and still complain everyone else is too slow”

Six generations later, that same work ethic–and humor–is what keeps the place glowing.

Some customers travel halfway across the country just to get a taste.

For Snae Sukhadia, carrying on that legacy is both a responsibility –and a reward.

“There’s just so much beauty in being able to say like, ‘Hey, we’ve been around for 145 years and we’ll be around for another 145 years.”

They don’t have an exact total, but they estimate the shop sells  between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds of sweets over a week and a half during Diwali.