DALLAS — More than 30 years ago, Maricsa Trejo's parents immigrated from Mexico so she could live the American dream.
But as she got older, she had no idea what that dream even was.
“I felt very lost and not necessarily depressed, but I was like, ‘Who am I, why am I in this world?’” she said. “Very existential crisis.”
A first-generation Mexican-American whose childhood memories are centered mainly around food, Trejo knew for a long time she wanted a career working with food.
After attending culinary school at El Centro in Dallas, Trejo’s plan was to work as a cook. Unfortunately, she said the environment inside most kitchens is dog-eat-dog, with people looking to climb the ladder rather than lend a helping hand.
Coincidentally, her desire to help changed her future, although she didn’t realize it at the time. While working at a local restaurant, one day when the pastry chef was slammed, Trejo offered to help.
She never looked back.
From Thailand to Portland, Trejo traveled the world refining her skills as a pastry chef and creating a vision for her future. But when she moved back to Dallas, she said she was hopelessly adrift.
“It was like a big blank page and I could’ve come back really inspired and started writing right away, but I just stared at it and was like, ‘Who gave me this piece of paper and what am I supposed to do with it?” she said. “I was like ‘What did I get myself into where now I’m here and I don’t know what to do?’”
Sifting through her options, Trejo started her own bakery in 2017.
Working alone from the back of a small Dallas pub, she stayed up through the night baking. Each morning, she traveled door-to-door, and later in the day she held pop-ups, asking people to buy her treats.
For years, she worked seven days a week and barely slept.
And it paid off.
Today, corner coffee shops all over North Texas serve her pastries. La Casita Bakeshop in Richardson, which Trejo opened with her husband Alex—a chef himself—has become one of the best bakeries in America.
La Casita is a semi-finalist for the best bakery in America from the prestigious James Beard Awards.
More than any trophy, however, Trejo said she is proudest of what she’s built. She has the kind of kitchen she always dreamed of with a staff that makes enough money to support their family.
“It makes me really excited to show people that you can do that with nothing because basically, I had nothing back then," Trejo said.
The James Beard Awards will announce national winners June 5. To learn more about La Casita, visit www.lacasitabakeshop.com.