Baking has been part of Saraí Almanza’s life for as long as she can remember. Raised in a Mexican-American household in suburban Jackson, Almanza would often find herself in the kitchen helping her mom with various tasks, like cutting out edible images for cakes or mixing colors for decoration.
When she wasn’t at home, she’d spend much of her free time at the family business: a Mexican-style bakery in Madison County serving pan dulces (traditional Mexican sweet breads) and other sweet treats from the family’s homeland.
“I was always incorporated unwillingly (at first), but I turned out to like it,” Almanza told the Mississippi Free Press, describing how baking gradually evolved from a chore to a hobby. She began absorbing the recipes used at the bakery almost without knowing it, she explained, and soon she was preparing elaborate cakes and pastries unassisted.
Almanza may have been resistant to baking initially, but she’s come to love the mix of creativity and precision the art form demands. At 25 years old, she’s preparing to take over the family business, aiming to further her parents’ legacy and put her recent degree in business administration from Holmes Community College to use…