Today we’d like to introduce you to Maricsa Trejo.
Hi Maricsa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started La Casita Bakeshop after coming back from traveling, I had no real job and had a small idea for a bakery. Back then I had no money or help, so I traded bread for kitchen space to work in the back of a brew pub. I did that for 1 year and then jumped from kitchen to kitchen until I finally found current spot in Richardson. During that first year, I went door to door to help sell my business to coffee shops. I got a lot of non-responses, but I look back at that time and it helped me grow as a business owner. It wasn’t until my husband, Alex Henderson, joined me that I started to really gain momentum and grow. We worked alone for three years straight until we opened La Casita Bakeshop in Richardson. We opened February 2020 and quickly closed that March. Marking the first time we had ever closed and the start of our online pre-orders. Our growth has not stopped, and we expanding as we speak!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Man, to say it hasn’t been a smooth road is an understatement. We have literally paved this road with rocks, pebbles, bricks, boulders, and literally anything we could get our hands on. During our first year, we delivered our own pastries and worked 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. We did that for 3 years straight, no days off, no date nights, no birthday celebrations, no nothing. Living to work was probably the hardest part of those 3 years; we sacrificed our time with each other and our families to achieve our dream. Years later, we would figure out that hiring employees would be both amazing and terrifying. We had more time to do other things but never enough to get out of working 6 days a week. Plus, many people who started with us left in some of the worst ways. We are all better for it though!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our Specialty is definitely croissants! We pride ourselves in our lamination and that most of our team can laminate! We have handled the ups and downs of making croissants as a team and it has only made us better. We consistently ask our team to help us be better and they have not let us down. From the croissant dough to the butter blocks we have problem-solved it all! We set ourselves apart by choosing to work with everyone on our team for solutions. It’s not just the Pastry Chef or Sous Chefs who are listened to, it’s everyone. We are all equal.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I often ask myself how I got to where I am. Grit? Hardwork? Intelligence? Or just pure luck? I truly believe that I succeeded because I have surrounded myself with people who want this as much as I do. I could not do this without my team, and I finally have a team who uplifts me and each other. We are one big weird, awkward family and we truly want us to succeed. The bakery succeeds because of its people and our customers feel that in our baked good and service.
Contact Info:
- Website: lacasitabakeshop.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/lacasitabakeshop
- Facebook: facebook.com/Lacasitabakeshop
Image Credits
Star Chefs magazine
Dallas Morning News
