“I’m not easily impressed with politicians,” Norm Dinkel, owner of Chicago’s Dinkel’s Bakery, told HOH. But as for Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., who spent a day making doughnuts and decorating cakes for Dinkel, well, “He is a very nice man.”

“It was just a nice experience” to have Quigley work at the shop, the gruff baker said.

As part of his constituent outreach, Quigley goes into the district and works odd jobs for those businesses willing to put up with a congressman. This week, Dinkel’s Bakery, established in 1922 and run by Norm for 50 years, got the full Quigley service.

Dinkel, who describes himself as “to the right of Attila the Hun” and says Congress is “out of touch,” has some pretty severe ideas about Washington.

“We have too many G.D. rules and regulations,” Dinkel told HOH. “It’s a freaking miracle that we’re still in business after
90-odd years.”

Also, according to Dinkel, “We need a constitutional amendment [that would] eliminate two regulations for every new law Congress passes.”

He’s pretty sure that isn’t going to happen, though: “No one listens to me. No one understands the laws.”

He does, however, genuinely like and respect Quigley.

“[Quigley] is a Democrat. Socially, I think, he is a liberal, but, fiscally, I think he’s fiscally conservative.” Dinkel added, “I don’t want to put words in his mouth. I’ve known him a long time. He believes there are no free lunches.”

When the congressman reported at the bakery Tuesday, Dinkel put him to work on “bismarcks and doughnuts,” then had him making Windsor cookies before setting him up in the cake department. At the end of the day, Quigley was sent home with his cake.

“No one was going to buy that!” Dinkel said. To be fair, he told us, Quigley’s “cake will taste just fine,” but it takes years to get the hang of cake decoration.

So, Congressman Quigley has proved it: You can have your cake and eat it, too, as long as you decorate it poorly.