On Tuesday, Nov. 9, Porto’s Bakery & Café, one of the largest retail bakery operations in the country, will celebrate the grand opening of its third retail bakery café in Southern California with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new Downey, CA, location.

 “We make fresh bread four times a day. So whenever you come in and order something, the bread just came out of the oven,” said Betty Porto, vice president of community relations, during a pre-opening luncheon. “Our soups are made from scratch, our pastries – everything is made from scratch. This store will offer exactly the same items – our drinks, sandwiches and desserts.”

For owner Raul Porto, the new bakery was a labor of love and a unique venture in a new downtown area full of potential.

“It’s been a long process, over two years,” he says. “We’ve poured our heart into every detail and thought out everything.”

Inside, the restaurant features high-end appliances, many hand-picked by the Porto family and purchased from around the world. On several counters, state-of-the-art computer monitors allow customers to scroll through Porto’s menu while European ovens, lights, and display cases can be found around the bakery cafe.

“Look at this bread,” said Porto, holding up a large sourdough loaf. “Now look at it under the light. What do you see? It brings out the color in the bread. In Germany, this type of lighting is standard in all bakeries.”

According to Porto’s website, the store will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sunday hours will be 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.