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Mi Gente: La Michoacana Bakery

La Michoacana Bakery has mass appeal among pan dulce connoisseurs is an understatement.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In this edition of  Mi Gente, we'll introduce you to one bakery in Corpus Christi whose hearts are as warm as their bread. 

"Para mi es un arte. Artesanal, este, poder, estar pues brindandole a nestra gente," Antonio Arrejon said. 

 Antonio Arrejon is the founder, owner, chief baker and all-around worker of the city's foremost Mexican bakery known as La Michoacana Bakery. 

La Michoacana has become a tradition home for a proud family.

"Empezamos con el interes, de poder, este aprender, aprender de ellos," Arrejon said. 

According to Arrejon, his family is from Mexico. Arrejon's uncle introduced him to the art of baking, specifically the art of creating the colorful delicacies we've come to know as pan dulce.

"A esto se le llama cueronos, eh, les ponemos queso adentro. Son cuernos con relleno de queso. Cream cheese," Arrejon said. 

La Michoacana Bakery has mass appeal among pan dulce connoisseurs is an understatement. 

For Arrejon it is the love of the dough, not necessarily the currency, but the dough he needs the dough he manipulates

To create tasty morsels, thousands of South Texans enjoy every day. To understand Antonio's passion for his craft, one needs but grasps the story of his humble beginnings crediting his uncle to showed him the ropes.  

"Le doy muchas, o sea, gracias a el, y, y, por darme la oportunidad y tenerme la paciencia, que fue un hermano de mi papa pues que yo lo reconozco y aun actualmente el sigue trabajando dentro de la panaderia y todavia el pan lo trabaja como antes no, en hornos de bobeda y hacer toda esa laboracion. Que ya uno esta un poco modernizado, pero el sigue," Arrejon said.  Aqui es el los hornos que es donde estamos sacando el ya cocinado el pan para servirlo a la gente, a la comunidad calientito dario."

By calientito, Arrejon means fresh and right out of the oven.

"Moyetes, cuernitos, puros, muffins, pancake, the cookies, ah, we're gonna have, we have huaraches, chamucos, ah, turnovers, donuts, anything you can think of we have, and we can make it for you," said Thalia Hernandez, La Michoacana Pastry Expert

According to Arrejon,  he started his bakery business originally on horn road back in the 90's it was a tiny neighborhood store.   

No matter the size, Arrejon says he brought more than just pad de dulce he brought tradition. 

'La panaderia esta lllena de tradiciones, no. que el pan de muerto, la los bunuelos, que la rosca de reyes. entonces aqui en el pueblo de corpus christi no mucha gente lo conocia, lo sabia. entonces en inicio no fue muy facil no porque no saben de lo que se trataba. y pan de muertos, de que se trata no," Arrejon said. 

La Michoacana, right off the crosstown expressway, has become a landmark in Corpus Christi, luring in customers from all different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and countries. What may come as a surprise, is it's humble delicacies generate a significant economic footprint for the city. 

"Ahorita tenemos, aproximadamente como unos 30, 30 empleados que trabajamos como las 24 horas la panaderia esta en laboracion para, empezamos en la noche laborar el pan para tenerlo a las seis de la manana cuando abrimos las puertas tenerlos calientito. Fresco," Arrejon said. 

According to Arrejon, they close their doors around 8 p.m, but the work continues into the night and on to the morning, every day. 

"Con el esfuerso que hacemos creer en uno mismo, creer en la gente, dreams come true," Arrejon said. 

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