Delicias Bakery & Some opened in Highland Park in 1991. The bakery specializes in making traditional Mexican treats vegan; for example tortas, queso fresco and flan.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused hardship for many small businesses, and Delicias is no different. According to Roxanne Sanchez, the daughter of the owners of Delicias, the rising price of baking supplies and ingredients has caused the bakery to struggle to keep up with the demanding costs to keep Delicias up and running.
“It is hard to run a small business,” Sanchez said. “People don’t care to support them if it’s a dollar more.”
According to Sanchez, Delicias has applied for grants from the city, but has so far been denied due to a lack of funds.
In December 2020, the bakery started a GoFundMe.
“We weren’t able to raise as much as we wanted to [with the GoFundMe], but it was a big help,” Sanchez said.
As of the publication of this article, the bakery has raised $12,775 of its $60,000 goal.
Sanchez said the owners put much effort and love into the bakery to keep it running.
“My dad still works another job, and my mom pays for all of the supplies — we need to keep the bakery running,” Sanchez said. “When my parents get old, my sister and I are going to take over. We want to make them proud.”
Sanchez said the community has helped keep them stay open for 32 years, and they hope that the community can come to their aid now, when they need it the most.
A Highland Park local, Joseph Weathers, said he recently supported Delicias with a friend and he wants to come back to the bakery with more friends.
“I fear that within a few years, none of us will afford to be here and the gentrifiers/remote work/techies will completely destroy the area,” Weathers wrote. “I feel pretty hopeless in the fight, but I wanted to attempt to help.”
According to a barista at Delicia’s, Jay Elizabeth, their pinole latte takes ingredients from classic Mexican pinoles, such as cocoa, agave, vanilla and cinnamon, and is a favorite among their customers.
Sanchez said that Tortas, flan and queso fresco were also regular treats in the Sanchez household; these goods also helped employees connect more with their culture.
Elizabeth said her family is from Central America and she identifies as Indigenous.
“Because I didn’t have a Mexican mom to make these traditional foods for me, I feel like I am connecting again with my ancestors through Delicias,” Elizabeth said.
According to Sanchez, they are pushing to remain open because the store has history within the community and it helps Mexican Americans embrace and reconnect with their culture.
Delicias Bakery is at 5567 North Figueroa St. They are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays.
Contact Elizabeth Reedy at reedy@oxy.edu
Correction March 10 at 7:44 a.m.: Updated to reflect that Jay Elizabeth is from Central America, and not Latin America; she also identifies as Indigenous and not Native American.
