The smell of sugar, the sight of pastries in wood and glass display cases and the line of customers out the door tells you you鈥檝e arrived at one of Tucson鈥檚 best-known bakeries, La Estrella.
Since 1986, La Estrella has been a go-to for traditional Mexican pastries in the city.
Third-generation baker Sebastian Monta帽o displays a batch of freshly baked empanadas at La Estrella Bakery.
鈥淥ur goal has always been to be a part of the community,鈥 said Isabel Monta帽o, who runs the daily operations at all four La Estrella locations. 鈥淲e want to maintain and preserve the original recipes that came from our family.鈥
Monta帽o said her family, which started the business 40 years ago, wants to keep it going for generations to come.
A rack of triangle-shaped cookies displaying the colors of the Mexican flag at La Estrella Bakery.
鈥淲e have to make sure that we don鈥檛 lose the culture and traditions,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f we can get the youth interested in this line of work, the youth need to be educated and have the passion and love for baking.鈥
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Over the course of 40 years, La Estrella has been dedicated to maintaining culture, values and heritage through baking signature items like Hebillas, a sweet donut-like pastry covered in white, pink, brown, blue and green frosting.
Founded by Antonio and Marta Franco, Monta帽o鈥檚 parents, the business started out of a desire to bring traditional Mexican bakeries back to Arizona border towns, she said.
Today, Monta帽o and her siblings, Erica and Jorge, carry on the family tradition.
The business will celebrate its 40th anniversary in October.
Always fresh
Chipotle tortillas at La Estrella.
La Estrella bakes everything fresh on a daily basis and doesn鈥檛 use any pre-made ingredients. That kind of dedication is what Sebastian Monta帽o, Isabel鈥檚 son and a third generation baker, is most proud of.
鈥淲hat makes it stand out to me is the family aspect of it,鈥 he said.
He has worked for his family since he was 6 years old.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great opportunity for not only for the family, but also for my personal development,鈥 he said.
A platter of butterfly cookies, one of the bakery鈥檚 signature creations, sits on display at La Estrella.
Lori Aranas, manager of La Estrella鈥檚 North Grande Avenue location, said at La Estrella 鈥渢hey make us feel like family.鈥
That family feeling has helped the business grow year by year, she said, and the bakers work together as a team to ensure that customers come back time and again, too.
Even with economic ups and downs over the past 40 years, Aranas said people continue to come to the bakery because 鈥渆veryone needs their breads and their tortillas.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big cultural thing,鈥 she said.
One of those loyal customers is Peggie Allen, who has been shopping at the bakery for 16 years.
鈥淭hey have such a variety that you don鈥檛 find in the grocery store, and I love all the unique things that they have,鈥 she said.
Allen believes La Estrella s has been successful for so long because the products are both freshly made and unique.
鈥淵ou can come in and get fresh tortillas that were made today and pastries that were made fresh this morning,鈥 she said.
That鈥檚 part of why Sebastian Monta帽o believes that La Estrella has a bright future.
鈥淲hat really holds us together is the community,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e owe a great amount of our success to the community and we owe to our customers.鈥
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
