“Corner.” “Rolling.” “Baking.”
These are some of the activities you will find at La Casita Bakeshop, in the heart of Richardson, Texas, owned by Dallas College graduate Marisca Trejo.
“I love being here. I love doing that I do. When you pour yourself into a business it takes everything,” Trejo said.
Trejo transformed her passion into a thriving bakery. A passion that started at an early age.
“I first started cooking in the kitchen with my mom when I was little. I always just kind of gravitated towards the kitchen, just because I was like, ‘let me get a little snack. My mom would say, ‘If you’re in there, you’re going to cook,” she said.
With encouragement from her immigrant parents a menu beloved by many was formed.
“I really like our apple pie. It’s one of my favorites,” she said. “It just takes a lot of peeling. A lot of pouring the apples. We weigh this out, mix it with spices and then we have to bake it in the oven. Just for a little bit,” she said.
And that same love and passion she puts into her craft is why she is frequently featured in D Magazine, crowning her as the “Queen of Croissants.”
Trejo has also made an impressive appearance in The Food Network Halloween Baking Championship.
“That toe with those little details that is Halloween baking championship quality,” said Carla Hall, Halloween Championship judge.
Trejo was also named as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award as an Outstanding Baker.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ like someone is recognizing my hard work,” Trejo said.
Trejo attributes much of her success to her time at Dallas College where she developed her culinary skills.
“I got the same schooling as the people that were around me, like friends that went to other institutes. Every person gets what they want out of a program,” Trejo said.
And her new-found community was the final ingredient to her picture-perfect recipe.
Surrounding myself with good people was the best decision I made. And the people that I’ve found from Dallas College they are some of the hardest working employees that I have,” she said.
From cooking with her mother to building a thriving business, this Dallas College alumni is a representation of commitment, community and the love for culinary arts.
