PROFILES F elix Herrera is the owner of 5 Estrella Bakery, which ranks among the favorite local bakeries in the Bronx, having treated local customers to tres leches cakes and Dominican breads and pastries since the family-owned bakery opened 18 years. Herrera looks over the bakery on a busy weekday morning with great pride, thinking back to the early years when there were only a handful of employees putting in extraordinary hours to get the job done. Now the business is flourishing, serving as a testament to what perseverance and an undying commitment to high quality can accomplish. " Getting people to know us was the hardest part. We started as a bakery and pizzeria and then we took pizza out to focus more on authentic pastries and breads, " Herrera shares. " Then we started making soups and sandwiches so that people would have more choices. It has worked out very well for us. Business is good. " Their story exemplifies how sticking to what you know best can pay off in the end. One of the more unique foods they serve is authentic oatmeal. The oatmeal is so popular that they sell about 20 gallons of freshly made oatmeal a day. " We don't make it so thick, so our customers don't need a spoon to enjoy it, " he explains. " A lot of people enjoy it with a piece of bread. " Customers raves about the fresh foods such as guava pastry and Dominican cakes. People know the bakery so well that the children of parents who bought their cakes from 5 Estrella in the early years are now coming into the bakery to purchase cakes and pastries for their special occasions. " We specialized in cakes from the beginning, " Herrera says with great pride. PANADERÍA | OCTOBER 2024 43