Panaderia the place for fresh-baked goodies

by Karl Horeis

I really wanted to do a piece about the Panaderia Azteca Bakery near the Albertsons on Highway 50 East, but I ran into a language barrier.

Luckily, I had help from two translators. The first time I went into the Panaderia, I asked 8-year-old Celina Viramontes, a Fremont Elementary student, to translate.

She was a great help. She told the woman behind the counter I was from the "periodico" and wanted to do a story. The woman explained that the owner wasn't there, and I should come back later.

I called back Wednesday to ask for the owner, but ran into more language trouble. Again, I had help from a friendly Spanish speaker. This time it was Appeal education reporter Teri Vance.

A panaderia, she explained, is a bread shop. "Pan" means bread and "- aderia" is a suffix meaning "shop." She learned on a mission in Ecuador from 1996 to 1998. In Ecuador, each town smells of fresh bread in the morning because there's a panaderia on every corner, she said. The bakers in their shops holler out the door, "Pan-a-duh-REEE-ahh!"

A man carrying bread on his shoulder would scare her in the square by shouting "Pan-a-duh-REEE-ahh" right next to her.

At Carson City's Panaderia, owner Gaspar Villanueva and his wife, Yolanda, bake many bread varieties.

"We make around 60 or 65 different items," he said. Fortunately for me, he speaks English.

The Villanuevas make doughnuts, pastries, French bread, long churros with cinnamon and sugar, cakes and empanadas (like a turnover) in several flavors including pumpkin, pineapple, strawberry and custard.

They also make a three-milk cake. I've never heard of this, but it's self-explanatory.

"We make a cake, and we put in three different types of milk," said Villanueva.

When you go into the bakery at 3189 Highway 50 East, you grab a round, aluminum pan (like the ones we used to bake pizzas at my first job in Portland, Ore.) and tongs then head to the pastry cabinets and take your pick. There are so many wonderful treats, it's hard to decide - cream-filled pastries, sugar-coated ring doughnuts and doughnuts capped with marmalade.

Three-milk cakes are popular, but the most popular items are the conchas sweet bread. They come in several colors: Vanilla-white, chocolate-brown, yellow and pink.

The prices at Panaderia Azteca are very reasonable.

"We've got three things that cost $1, and the rest are like 40 or 50 cents," Gaspar said.

And they offer more than just baked goods. There are torta sandwiches with pork, ham and cheese and hard-to-find items like three-legged grinding stones, tortilla warmers and pinatas. They also have tons of rare Central and South American herbs and spices, Jarritos Mexican soda, Mexican cheese, chorizo, beans and flour.

The Villanuevas have owned the Panaderia for nine years. He said they are getting more and more non-Hispanic customers.

"In the last year, we have had more and more asking for tortas, but they don't buy too much," Villanueva explained.

When Mexicans come in, they take a pan and select 20 or 30 pastries to take home to their families, he said.

"When white people come in, they just get like one or two things, and that's it."

Interestingly, that's what I did. I opened the Plexiglas door to the pastry cabinet and grabbed one topped with sweet orange jam with my fingers. Then I saw other folks using the pans and tongs. I had no idea I wasn't doing it right.

"Next time, I'll try to do better," I promised Villanueva.

Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.