In Richardson’s sleepy, nondescript shopping center on Arapaho Road just west of Custer, smart and savvy husband-and-wife team Maricsa Trejo and Alex Henderson are busy creating the magic that is La Casita Bakeshop.

At just 33 years old, Maricsa has already garnered multiple accolades. In 2022, she received her first nomination for the prestigious James Beard Award and was a Semifinalist for Outstanding Baker. In 2023, she was nominated again and became a finalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery and La Casita was recognized as one of the five best bakeries in the country.

Maricsa appeared on Food Network’s 2022 season of “Halloween Baking Championship.” D Magazine has recognized her on more than one occasion for her outstanding baking skills. She’s a big deal in the baking world. But sitting down to chat with Maricsa is more like catching up with a long-lost friend who walks out of her kitchen with a welcoming and infectious smile.

BUILDING A DREAM

Maricsa began working toward her dream of building a bakery of her own in a tiny Oak Cliff brew pub. While Alex worked the front of the house, Maricsa traded handmade burger buns for the space to bake pastries, which she sold at a few coffee shops around Dallas. Over time, her reputation grew and they were flooded with orders for Maricsa’s delicious pastries. The duo dreamed of opening their own brickand-mortar shop.

Maricsa and Alex discovered Richardson thanks to a wholesale partner who had a small kitchen in the same shopping center where La Casita Bakeshop is now located. Having already establishing a name for themselves thanks to wildly successful pop-ups at places like Parks Coffee in Carrollton and other coffee shops plus a large Instagram following, the duo needed a place to establish roots and bake.

They started out as a small “take out only” bakery and sold out on opening day within 45 minutes. People waited in a line that wrapped around the building for La Casita’s legendary cruffins and croissants, along with cakes and breads. D Magazine soon labeled them as the best takeaway bakery. Maricsa’s dream had become an exciting reality.

LEARNING TO PIVOT

But five weeks after opening, COVID hit. Maricsa and Alex took a couple of weeks off to reset and plan next steps. Determined to stay afloat but do so with integrity, the couple decided to pay their bakers as long as they could even though the bakers weren’t working. Says Maricsa, “They had families to feed and were depending on us.” Thankfully, La Casita already had an online ordering system in place, so they pivoted to pre-orders only and delivered the baked goods curbside.

Most days the couple had orders for hundreds of items to be picked up within a six-hour window. With only two people working the front of the shop and Maricsa and Alex baking nonstop, the shop survived and earned a fiercely loyal customer base.

ONE BIG FAMILY
It’s now La Casita’s fifth year in Richardson. The couple added a third partner, Brianna Short, to handle the operations-related side of the business and their 80 crew members are treated like family. Some sous chefs start at La Casita at 17 or 18 years old.

Maricsa and Alex clearly love their employees and make a substantial financial commitment to them. La Casita’s payroll is high, but they want employees “to stay for the long haul,” says Maricsa. La Casita has 11 full-time bakers and are looking to grow that number.

Not only are team members encouraged to opt in to La Casita’s healthcare plan, a rarity in the small business world, but Alex – known as the “mom” at La Casita – invests time and energy into making sure that employees are taking care of their mental, physical and financial health. He checks in on them regularly and offers guidance and support when asked.

This sense of family extends to having FUN together! A highlight is the annual company-wide Field Day Maricsa and Alex host at Martha Point Park in Carrollton. Says Maricsa, “Field Day is HUGE! We shut all of our stores down on a Monday for Field Day. We play games and have gift cards for winners. It’s so much fun!”

TAKING TIME TO REFLECT

When asked what it’s like to own a business in Richardson, Maricsa compares the city to the small mountain town of San Jose Iturbide, Mexico, where her parents grew up. “Richardson is like a big family and we’ve become the family’s bakery. People who live here support us and we’ve felt a sense of ‘community’ here,” says Maricsa.

Crediting her success to her “ancestors’ work ethic,” Maricsa smiles widely when sharing stories of her family. And she laughs at having “taken a few years off her life” from the fast pace of owning a successful business. But it’s clear that she and Alex don’t mind hard work.

She also feels that their success rests on finding people who helped the couple along the way and fit various needs of the burgeoning business. States Maricsa, “You can have a great idea, but you have to have great people around you to make it happen.”

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Their booming wholesale business, retail restaurant and take out bakery are all run out of their 6,000 sq ft. Richardson location. They also own La Casita Coffee on Rowlett’s Main Street and have two exciting projects in the works.

The next La Casita Coffee, opening by the end of 2024, will be located inside Half Price Books’ flagship store on Northwest Highway in Dallas. They’ll start with coffee and pastries and eventually offer brunch at that location. The shop will also have an outdoor patio space.

A second expansion project is already in the works. La Casita Coffee will open in an office building in the Uptown area by year’s end. It will be a smaller space but still offer many of Maricsa’s gourmet bakery items.

AN OPEN INVITATION

Today, La Casita Bakeshop is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. The menu rotates monthly and targets different cultures, thereby offering a new culinary experience to guests each visit thanks to innovative bakes coupled with the bakery’s beloved staples. When asked what she wants people to know about La Casita, Maricsa smiles enthusiastically and says, “We’re a big family ready to serve and feed you. We are here and our doors are open.”