If the past two years of the pandemic have taught retail bakeries anything, it is that consumers continue to seek out the comforts of foods they know and love. Yet in addition to traditional favorites, they crave bakery specials with a twist. And this trend is particularly noticeable in the breakfast bakery sector.

Great tamales – made fresh daily – are a fan favorite at Brizuela’s Bakery in Anaheim, California, along with hot drinks for breakfast including champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate) and avena con leche (made with oatmeal, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon).

Churros are an increasingly popular item for snacking and breakfast, and San Antonio Bakery in Compton, California, makes an inventive breakfast dessert that is popular for parties and morning snacking occasions.

Churro cheesecake is made by San Antonio Bakery’s talented pastry chef Alondra Roman. She starts with a churro coating that covers the top of the rich cheesecake for a delicious flavor.

“People ask for it all the time,” explains the bakery’s owner Victor Martinez.

At Porto’s Bakery, one of the nation’s largest retail bakeries with six locations in Southern California, a greatly popular breakfast item is Cuban-style French toast known as torrejas.

The popular bakery makes torrejas starting with Porto’s signature croissant dough topped with guava sauce and accompanied by whipped cream cheese and tropical fruit salad.

“It’s all about the flavor,” explains Adrian Porto, who manages Porto’s newest location in Northridge, California, and is the son of co-owner Raul Porto.

Raul’s mother Rosa Porto started the family bakery business in 1976. Rosa Porto passed away in 2019, but her three children and grandchildren work alongside a talented and dedicated team to carry on Porto’s tradition and Rosa's legacy.

Porto's has gradually grown into six current locations in Glendale, Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, West Covina, and Northridge, with a seventh location in the Downtown Disney® District on the way.

Rosa’s Cuban cakes and pastries are now accompanied by Porto’s signature Cheese Rolls®, Refugiados® (guava and cheese strudels), and the bakery’s famous Potato Ball®, among many other international sweets and savory items.

Porto’s took the number one spot on “Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the US.” In 2021 Porto's Bakery was voted Best Bakery in the Southland, according to the Los Angeles Times.

And just as Porto's Bakery started in Rosa's home back in Cuba, with Porto's Bake at Home, the company now ships most popular pastries and cakes nationwide directly to consumers nationwide. Rosa’s recipes and high standards continue to be carried on by her family, reflecting the family’s mission of baking memories for generations to come.