South L.A. Food Diaries: Inside a family-run, family-inspired panadería

Like Celaya Bakery itself, Joe Moreno — owner, manager and chef of this South Vermont Avenue panadería — is a Los Angeles tradition. Baking runs in his blood.

“I’m a fourth-generation baker,” Moreno said. “It stretches back to my great-grandfathers on both sides. So my whole life has been about baking.”

His expertise is evident in his pastry creations. Celaya is best known for its pan dulce, a sweet Mexican bread, and its custom cakes — especially its tres leches cake, sold whole and by the slice.

It is served drenched in a thick custard milk — the lifeblood of the cake — with a hint of spices that are hard to pinpoint, but feel familiar nonetheless.

The cake comes chilled, and the fluffiness of the sponge provides a welcome contrast to the dense topping. Each slice is topped with a sprinkle of crispy chocolate pearls and a swirl of whipped cream.

Celaya Bakery is named after a city in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, where Moreno’s grandfather, who founded the South L.A. establishment, was born. Moreno said that at one time, his family owned over a dozen bakeries in the greater Los Angeles area; and though only two remain today, its family-run legacy continues.

“Since I was a kid, I was not at a house where we watched Saturday morning cartoons,” Moreno said. “I was working, but I didn’t really call it work back then. I had to be [in the bakery], but at the same time I know it was where I was supposed to be.”

Much of the panadería’s offerings are served grab-and-go style with glass shelves lining the walls and center of the shop. These shelves are filled with rows and rows of classic American treats like chocolate chip cookies alongside traditional Mexican pastries like conchas.

Moreno is obviously no stranger to hard work, and he has kept this work ethic up even decades later, in the ways he serves the South L.A. community.

“We provide jobs for a lot of people, as well as a good place to eat and to get custom cakes,” Moreno said. “I like to do things with the schools around here, like field trips with the elementary schools.”

The reputation the bakery has created for itself likely has to do with Moreno’s own passions. When asked about his favorite dish to cook or dessert to bake, Moreno replies without hesitation: “cake.”

The experimental and ever-changing nature of cake creation is what draws Moreno to the craft.

“I try to go for something different every time,” Moreno said. “I’m inspired by just wanting to learn how to do things, even things I’ve never seen done before.”