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Éxito Dulce! Pastelería J's Celebra 70 años |
Sweet success! J's Pastry celebrates 70 years By Hana Frenette, Courtesy of Pensacola News Journal  PENSACOLA—April 18, 2016—A young girl in a plaid school uniform leans up against the glass case inside J's Pastry Shop, heavily debating between a yellow iced cookie with a smiley face painted on it, and a double chocolate cookie sandwich. After a little back and forth, her mother allows her to get both, but only under the pretense that one will be saved until after dinner.J's Pastry Shop on North 12th Avenue has been a Pensacola staple for 70 years and has provided thousands of after school treats, birthday cakes and before-church pastries to the community since its opening in 1946. The shop has changed owners a handful of times since brothers Jack and Jay first opened the bakery, but the original recipes have been carefully passed down the line. "I wanted to keep the tradition of J's alive by using those same recipes," Katie Hurtado said. "We don't use any preservatives, we bake it fresh every day, and we do it all by hand, the old-fashioned way."  Hurtado, her husband, Mike Neyra, and Neyra's brother bought the shop in 2000 after moving to Pensacola from Miami. In 2012, Hurtado and Neyra took full ownership of the shop.The bakery has continued to thrive, and Hurtado is continuously bringing in new items to add to the roster of J's traditional cookies, doughnuts and pies. The shop started making a variety of bagels this year, along with baklava, and some new cheesecake choices. Hurtado said she also is working on adding some Cuban pastries and other dishes this year. In between dreaming up new recipes, she keeps busy with the custom cake decorating the shop offers. She has a background in art and is able to incorporate many techniques from the art world into the day-to-day cake decorating. "I like working in three dimensions — I think you really have to like (cake decorating) to have a passion for it, especially when you are doing manual work," she said, her white apron covered in light green and yellow frosting. Hurtado is often out of sight, in the back of the shop, decorating or baking, while Neyra prefers the front of the shop, where he can listen to the stories people tell about the bakery. "It's enjoyable to hear people tell their kids or their grandkids that these are the same smiley-face cookies they used to eat when they were little," Neyra said. Neyra noted several regular customers tell stories about coming around to the back of the shop more than 50 years ago, and how the brothers, Jack and Jay, would give them or other kids small doughnuts before going out on their newspaper route. Now the bakery offers small slices of doughnuts, cookies and bread as samples inside the shop. To keep up with the demand from the community, the shop has four bakers, with Hurtado and Neyra pitching in too, and six cashiers. "Around the holidays, we don't sleep," Hurtado said, laughing as she brushes a few crumbs from her apron. "But I cannot complain — I am so proud to be a part of J's." Hurtado noted the customers enjoy being a part of the bakery just as much as she does, and the sense of community and history is truly important to her. |
La tienda de pasteles de J's en la North 12th Avenue ha sido un elemento básico de Pensacola durante 70 años y ha proporcionado miles de golosinas después de la escuela, los pasteles de cumpleaños para la comunidad desde su apertura en 1946.
Hurtado, su esposo, Mike Neyra, y el hermano de Neyra compraron la tienda en el 2000 después de trasladarse a Pensacola desde Miami. En 2012, Hurtado y Neyra tomaron la propiedad total de la tienda.