Meet Mayra Alexandra Casillas | Pastry Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mayra Alexandra Casillas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mayra Alexandra, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I am a mother of 2 beautiful girls. Jazlynn is my oldest and she is 5 years old, Alyson is my youngest and she is 4 years old. It has been extremely hard trying to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship. Endulza bake shop had always been my dream and I had the opportunity to take over a bakery and convert it into what is now Endulza.

That goal definitely did not come alone. I had to deal with many things such as Covid, School closures because of cases in the day care and or school. We had a break in and it was tough to get the call from the police in the middle of the night, I wanted to run over to the bakery as soon as I got the call but did not want to take my daughters to the scene. My husband and I had to make the decision of him staying behind to watch the girls while I left to the scene in the middle of the night. If that’s not enough my youngest developed Pneumonia during the winter and of course I needed to be with her and care for her, which meant the bakery needed to close once again for a week.

It was very hard for me to drop them off at the day care each morning and leave them at someone else’s care while I went to pursue my dream. I kept trying to find a way to get the best of both worlds and I couldn’t come up with a plan. Unfortunately, my oldest daughter was being bullied at school and I did not have any idea because I was always at the bakery. That was my last straw and I decided to close down the storefront and just take pre-orders for custom cakes and pastries. In order to be with them longer and be more involved in their school I needed to make changes.

Life has not been easy for me, but one thing I can say is that I’ve come out of each situation stronger. I am a follower of God and know that he has been by my side all the time and I have learned to reinvent myself many times. I can honestly say that I am having the best of both worlds, I am building my dream without sacrificing my family. One thing that my daughters will learn as they get older is that through all the challenges with God by my side their mother never gave up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always loved baking, after many years in the cake decorating world I got offered a job to teach cake decorating at a local craft store. I loved it so much that I decided to take my passion to the next level. I decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. That was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had. I learned from the best Chefs in the industry. My professors kept cheering me on and helped me when I struggled. To this day I still keep in touch with them and thank them for everything they taught me. I would tell my professors that my goal was to be them one day.

Once I graduated, I was teaching at a community center in a city near by and then got offered a job as a baking instructor and cake decorating instructor in a training college. I was teaching for 2 different companies for several years.

Once my daughters were born I took a small break and helped my husband in his own business. Even though I was happy to help, something inside of me felt empty. I needed to do something for myself. That is when the opportunity to open up Endulza came along. Up until this day I am still taking all the calls for my husbands business while I am whipping up cake batter for my own business. After the incident with my daughter I decided to close down the storefront and focus on preorders only and teach classes at my bakery. By closing the store front it is giving me the opportunity to be more involved with my daughters and still doing what I love to do which is cake decorating and teaching.

I am very proud of Endulza. Almost everyting that comes out of my bakery is made from scratch. It has taken me years of practice to perfect recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you are in the San Gabriel Valley and you are a coffee lover just like me you definitely have to try 3 of my favorite coffee shops.

I love food and appreciate real authentic food. I am the type of person that will skip the corporations and go to the “hole in the wall” places because I know those places will server you the best tasting food! That is why I am very proud of Endulza!

The Brew House in La Puente had one of the best Spanish Lattes I have ever had. Penny Roasters in Glendora is definitely one of my favorite coffee spots on a weekday morning., I usually order an Iced Oat milk Vanilla Latte with cinnamon. Last but definitely not least In-house coffee in San Dimas has one of the largest flavor varieties can’t go wrong with any flavored Iced coffee.

If you are looking for authentic Mexican food, Taqueria la Poncitlan has one of the best menudo in town but the enchiladas are very close to my moms homemade enchiladas.

My all time favorite restaurant of all is Giovanni’s Restaurant. The pasta is made fresh every day and the fettuccini is to die for! This is definitely an authentic Italian restaurant.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my family and God.

Without my husband Juan Carlos Lopez and my daughters Jazlynn and Alyson Lopez support and patience I would not have the strength to overcome all the obstacles.

Isaiah 40:29 Is the strength that keeps me going, He is my rock and gives me the strength when I am weak.

Image Credits
Photographs by Steve Flores