Pilsen bakery churns out Three Kings Day bread to a community counting its blessings
At Panaderia Nuevo Leon in Pilsen on Tuesday, a steady line of customers waited to buy a roscón, the sweet bread also known as rosca de reyes or kings’ cake that Latino families eat to celebrate Three Kings Day.
The smell greeted customers even before they set foot inside. Bakery staff buzzed around, trying to fill as many orders as quickly as possible. The small bakery couldn't hold many customers at a time.
The Feast of the Epiphany, also called Día de Reyes or Three Kings Day, falls on Jan. 6 each year, as families celebrate the story of the Three Wise Men visiting the newborn Jesus.
It's also one of the busiest days of the year for many Mexican bakeries in Chicago.
But this year, the spike in sales was welcomed after recent increased immigration operations in the city led to a decrease in foot traffic.
“I’ll be here all day until closing time at 8 p.m. It’s a long day, but the adrenaline keeps me going," Dora Arellano told the Sun-Times.
Arellano, who dispatched the orders as they came in, has worked at the bakery for more than 10 years. It wasn't ever long before someone from the back of the bakery would appear, holding hot, colorfully decorated crowns of bread.
Panaderia Nuevo Leon is a staple in the Pilsen community. Abel Sauceda Hernandez, the bakery's owner, took over the business in 1973. Hernandez, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, has sold traditional Mexican bread ever since.
At 90 years old, he now runs the business with one of his two daughters and his two sons-in-law.
Jeffrey Nix, who oversees the business side of the bakery, said sales have dropped about 40% since increased immigration operations began in Chicago last September.
“It has been hard on everyone,” he said. “We’re worried about people in general, not just the business. If you’re documented or undocumented, they’re scooping people up no matter what, just because of your skin color.”
In addition to fewer customers, the bakery has faced rising ingredient costs. Milk and eggs are more expensive, and tariffs have affected some supplies. The price of cinnamon has doubled. Still, Sauceda Hernandez does not want to raise prices for customers.
Nix estimated the bakery will sell about 700 roscas de reyes this year. To prepare for demand, the bakery increased its egg order. Bakers began preparing dough five days ago.
“We went through six cases of eggs, six, in a week,” he said. “Normally, we go through six to eight cases. Since Friday afternoon, we’ve gone through at least two cases a day, plus all the other ingredients.”
Each case contains 30 dozen eggs, Nix said.
As customers patiently waited for their orders, workers wrapped the roscas in cellophane and topped them with gold bows. Staff often tell customers they can’t fully seal the wrap because the bread is still hot from the oven.
No one seemed to mind.
Dora Treviño was among those waiting in line for a rosca. She said it is tradition to give her daughter a gift on Three Kings Day and share the bread with family. She chose the bakery, she said, because its rosca is the closest thing to a Mexican rosca in Chicago.
The bakery hides two baby Jesus figurines in each rosca. The person who finds one is believed to be blessed.
“Of course I want the baby Jesus, because it’s a blessing. It means God is with you,” Treviño said. “For those of us who believe, that’s what’s beautiful. ”