Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Sada.
Maria, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My passion for cooking began at a very young age, my mom would sit me on the counter near her while she would explain the process and the reasons why she was doing them in a certain way. She always cooked with great pleasure and with the aim of pleasing the whole family.
She constantly reminded me that for the food to be delicious it needed to be made with love and thinking about the people you want to please with the food. Little by little she allowed me to help her with little things like greasing the cake molds, sifting flour, and small things like that. One day still at a very young age, she allowed me to make the entire cake, from start to finish I did everything by myself with the only help being placing it in the oven since I was still too young for that.
When I was 12 years old my maternal grandmother became seriously ill and my mother had to travel to Houston, Texas. In my mom’s absence, I had to cook for my dad and siblings for several days. It was a proud moment for my dad, he often bragged about how quickly I learned to cook. I always helped my mom cook the food for the family and for the frequent gatherings that would take place in our house. My parents, siblings, and I constantly had friends and family over to share a meal. All of our guests recognized my mother as a very good cook, and they liked coming over because one thing was for certain, they would always have a delicious meal.
Over time our friends and family also wanted to come every weekend to eat some of the cakes I made. At the time I was studying in Monterrey and my parents lived in Cadereyta. My dad did not like the idea of me leaving and tried to convince me to stay in Cadereyta to open a pastry shop, but at that time I saw cooking as a hobby, something I enjoyed a lot, but didn’t see it as a potential job.
Since the age of 18, I continue to develop my cooking skills with an inclination for cakes and desserts. My friends and family would often ask me to make them cakes and suggested that I should dedicate myself to that, but at the time my passion was fashion. With the help of my parents, I started a boutique and a fabric store.
When I got married and my children were born, my hobby became a passion, and on different occasions, I tried to start a pastry shop but, for one reason or another, I couldn’t. In 2004, shortly before we moved to the US, I started making cookies and cakes from my house in Cadereyta and briefly continued from our apartment in San Antonio I had the invitation to work in the kitchen of a convent, which started as something temporary but lasted for many years.
This allowed me to continue learning and practicing my craft and increase my passion for cooking. Although the nuns wanted me to continue with them, they motivated me to start my own business. Late in 2019 I decided to leave work at the convent and with the help of my son start a bakery. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it due to the start of the pandemic. However, in 2022 my dream started to take shape and it is now a reality.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like all good things, there are always difficulties to overcome, one of the obstacles I have faced is my difficulty with the English language and with technology. I focused on my family and my passion for cooking and did not keep up with the times. Living in the US and having my mom and the rest of the family in Mexico meant that I had to travel frequently.
As I mentioned before, I stopped working at the convent in 209 and when we were about to open the bakery, the pandemic happened. The hardships continued in 2020 making it the most difficult year for my mother and as a consequence mine too, as she passed from cancer. We also lost my older brother that year due to COVID-19. I thank God for allowing me to be by her side until her last breath.
Looking back at how everything unfolded I say with full conviction that God’s times are perfect and that it is never too late to make your dreams come true. All these difficulties and obstacles that I had to overcome, would have not been possible without the support of my family and in regard to the bakery, I counted on the support of my son Gustavo.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Juanys Bakery?
Our business is a homemade style bakery and pastry shop, with recipes from my mother and myself, homemade style. We focus on the flavor and quality of the product even if we sacrifice a little decoration.
They recognize me by the taste because the cakes and cookies are not very sweet or cloying because they are different from the best known, I think my famous cookie that we call Sweet Temptation made with butter filled with cajeta and covered with chocolate is one of my favorites and is also a clients favorite.
I want my clients to know that I love doing what I do, that I take great care of the quality and taste of my products, and that nothing makes me happier than knowing that they like my products.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I am a very transparent person, most people who know me know that I am very cheerful, talkative, helpful, and very sentimental. I deeply believe in God and I am devoted to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
What could surprise many people is that I have the most demanding food judges at home, my kids and husband have encouraged me to improve my own recipes and they have also become better than me in some dishes or techniques. I think that when you love something, you share it or pass it on in such a way that it becomes more of an inheritance, and those who receive it can do much more with it, just as I did with my mother.
Perhaps what could be the most surprising thing is that at the age of 60 I started this dream of mine, to open a bakery/pastry shop. Hopefully, God gives me life, and the bakery the resources for me to formally study the career of Pastry Chef.
Contact Info:
- Website: juanysbakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juanysbakery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juanysbakery
- Yelp: https://goo.gl/maps/uSdGmwdhEKhChSjs7
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Blanca Margarita
August 12, 2022 at 3:42 pm
Muchas muchas felicidades te quiero mucho y que sigan los éxitos
Saludos desde victoria tamaulipas