Local bakery modernizes traditional recipes

Contributed Photo

Hector and Vanessa Rodriguez stand in front of the Abuelita’s Bakery Spot food truck.

By Megan Wehring

Keeping traditions alive is the heart and soul of Abuelita’s Bakery Spot in Kyle.

Brother and sister Hector and Vanessa Rodriguez started their business originally out of their home in December 2020, and later in September 2021, they moved to a food truck establishment. But after learning that they needed to expand the venture even further, they moved into their current brick-and-mortar location in June.

“We waited eight months in order for that building to get built,” Vanessa Rodriguez said. “During the eight months, we were in the food truck – we gained a lot of respect and support from the community. They showed us a lot of love.”

The business idea started when Hector posted on social media about the traditional bunuelos, a sweet dessert that their abuelita would make throughout December and around the holidays. Hector then developed the idea to modernize the dessert into small treats, and he received exponentially positive feedback.

“If you’ve ever gone to our building, [you know] it is not a traditional bakery at all,” Vanessa Rodriguez said. “We grew up in South Texas in the McAl-

“We want to show people here who are not used to Hispanic household food that this is what we eat in our household and to show them a little part of us,”

len area, and for anybody that has ever lived there, they know that our bakery is not traditional as [the bakeries were] where we grew up. We understand that.”

Aside from the bunuelos, the Rodriguez family has continued to take traditional recipes and put modern twists on them – this includes their empanadas and mini conchas. “People here [in Kyle] have never seen a mini concha because they are so used to traditional conchas,” Vanessa Rodriguez explained. “Even my abuelita, when my brother and I showed her the mini conchas, she said ‘I wish I could have eaten this back in the day because it is less bread and less sugar.’ A lot of the customers say, ‘This is amazing. I was never able to go to a regular panaderia (bakery) because the traditional conchas were huge but the minis really minimize the sugar for me.’”

Vanessa Rodriguez concluded that her family just wants to bring a little piece of home to the bakery.

“We want to show people here who are not used to Hispanic household food that this is what we eat in our household and to show them a little part of us,” Vanessa Rodriguez said. “I think it’s really cool that people get to know us and that we get to know them.”

Intro for the magazine

What is Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)?

According to the CDC, more than half of Hispanic or Latino adults are expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to poor blood flow or circulation throughout your body, a condition known as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).

Early warning signs of PAD include legs or feet that are cold or have noticeable hair loss and slow-growing toenails. See your physician if you have progressing symptoms including cramping in your legs or buttocks when walking, and numbness or weakness in your legs or feet with or without discoloration or ulcers.

CTVS, which just opened in Kyle earlier this year, is Central Texas’ leading provider of cardiothoracic and vascular surgical care for more than 60 years. For more information, visit ctvstexas.com or call 512-459-8753.