A second-generation owner of Porto’s Bakery spoke at the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce’s February meeting, giving a packed auditorium on the Epson America campus a riveting rendition of a true American success story.
Beatriz Porto explained how her family left Cuba with little or nothing but a dream for a better life. Only with the work ethic of her father, Raul, Sr., and the baking skills of her late mother Rosa’s, could the family transform hard knocks into a family fortune.
“It is a story 50 years in the making,” said Beatriz, going into riveting detail about their lives in Cuba before coming to America in 1971.
“There was no money (in Cuba) because the money was worthless,” she told the group. When her parents fell onto harder times after filing papers to leave Cuba, her mom secretly baked and sold cakes, she told the group.
Courtesy photo
Even if there was no money, “they would pay her with beans, rice and chicken,” remembered Porto.
She said the family made a smart move after arriving in the USA, she said. While most Cuban refugees went to Miami, “a lot of smart people were telling us ‘there are no jobs in Miami, come to California,’” she said.
They did, and the rest is history.
Her dad soon found a job at a Dutch company and her mom started baking again, but had to experiment.
“It took her several months to figure things out because (in America), the flour was different, the milk is different and the butter here is different,” Porto said.
“Two months later, she was making wedding cakes,” said Porto. “Although my dad wanted her to fail because he wanted her to get a job, she said ‘if I was able to have a business in Cuba, how could you not be successful in America,’” Porto said she remembered her mother saying.
Pretty soon, the Porto’s kitchen was super busy and in 1976, they were driving in Silverlake when they found an abandoned bakery and opened. They moved to Glendale in 1982 and never looked back.
Today, Porto’s Bakery is known throughout the region as one of the tastiest treats on the Southern California restaurant menu.
Porto’s took the number one spot on “Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the US.” In 2021 Porto’s Bakery was voted Best Bakery in the Southland, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Beatriz said just as Porto’s Bakery started in Rosa’s home back in Cuba, with Porto’s Bake at Home, “we now ship our most popular pastries and cakes nationwide” for customers to bake at home.
Porto’s has gradually grown into six current locations in Glendale, Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, West Covina, and Northridge, with a seventh location in the Downtown Disney® District on the way.
“Quality is the key,” said Porto. “We’re no longer just a bakery, we’re a business,” she said.
Chamber President Richie Barnes thanked Porto for speaking to the Chamber and several other officials were on hand to present Certificates of Appreciation to Porto.
In other action, the Chamber honored Garage Pilates and owner Kristin DiMiceli for being named “Chamber member of the month.”