PEDRO

BAKER

“It’s such a good feeling for my children to follow in my footsteps of serving.”

When I was six years old, my mom died, and I was left alone. At 16, I moved to the capital city of Guatemala. No one would give me a job so I started cleaning at a bakery. After that, I started learning different steps until eventually, I was baking. I have been a baker ever since – for 45 years.

I used to own six bakeries in the capital city of Guatemala, but I was extorted and assaulted, and so I had to leave in 2011. One of my employees had moved to Iowa and asked me to come work in a bakery there. I worked with her for two years before I moved to Nashville. 

I go in at four every morning and make the bread, and when I leave, the racks are all full. Sometimes, especially on weekends, we sell out completely. It feels very good, and I know my job matters.

I like to bake, and my favorite is pan dulce because you can design different things on it. There is always something different you can create on it. 

I really like to be at the bakery with the people. I like when different people arrive and we just start chatting. It’s like a community. Different people come in and ask about each other. Everyone knows each other. 

I think the bakery is important because many different Hispanic cultures all eat our bread. I’ve even seen some Americans who come in as well.

I’ve been coming to Siloam for a couple of years, and it has been very good. I go to parties where there are cake and pastries, but I say “no” because it’s better for my health to take care of my sugar to keep it low. The doctors at Siloam have helped me a lot.