GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A West Michigan baker finally has a new space for some of his sweetest treats.
Rene Ortega has owned and managed a Grand Rapids-based bakery focused on wholesale for five years, but in late-August, he opened his first storefront location under the same name.
Mexicana Bakery Jalisco, located at the business strip at the corner of Baldwin Street and Riverview Drive, boasts an assortment of sweet Mexican breads.
Some of the sweets include their bright pink and yellow-colored conchas, a variety of empanadas, as well as other classics like the gingerbread piggies known as marranitos.
"You don't just roll it and cook it," Ortega said. "No — it's got to look nice. First, you got to look at the presentation."
But flavor is just as important, he adds, later explaining that he grew up in the Mexican state of Jalisco. His menu is inspired by his mother and father.
"When I was three, he decided to open a bakery back in Guadalajara," Ortega said.
At the age of 17, he would move to the U.S., where he would take on a myriad of jobs.
"I started like everybody else," Ortega said. "I started picking apples... I was sweeping the McDonald's. I worked as a roofer and then as a contractor."
Eventually, he found himself laid off from a bus driving job. Ortega later heard an ad on the radio where a bakery was in search of a delivery driver. The chance he took at applying changed everything.
"They offered me a manager position," he said. "So, I started from there."
Ortega would later have the chance to purchase the bakery. Though it was something he talked over with his wife, he's never looked back. He knows the decision would make his father happy.
"He wanted his kids to follow, you know?" Ortega said.
Ortega's father Roberto died two years ago, but his memory lives on through his recipes. To Ortega, it was family that helped him reach his goal.
"If you have some dreams up there, just work hard and make sure that they keep working because dreams do come true."
Mexicana Bakery Jalisco is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
More information can be found on their Facebook page here.
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