Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Vera.
Kathy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hola POP! Bakeshop’s name came from my last year of culinary school back in 2015; we had to create a business plan and Hola POP! was the name I came up with. The concept/personality changed with me as the years went by. I started to finally bring Hola POP! to life after an interview with the HISD Mentorship ROSE program – a local organization that focuses on mentoring young school children. They invited me to do a live webinar and to share my experiences in the culinary workforce while baking pan dulce (mexican sweet bread). After that live stream, I knew then that I wanted to continue to share my love of pan dulce and sweets with people.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having a demanding job took a lot out of me – creatively speaking. During this pandemic, like a lot of food service workers, I was out of a job. I took this time to fall in love with baking again. To truly bake for fun! Trying out different recipes that I haven’t had time to really explore. I’ve been really excited to try different flavors and seeing people enjoy them.
Please tell us about Hola POP! Bakeshop.
Hola POP! means so many things to me, the name stands for “Hello culture, Hello flavor, with a pop of color”. Hola POP! Bakeshop focuses on pan dulce (mexican sweet bread). This includes favorites like conchas, marranitos and pan de polvo to name a few. Growing up, these were a staple in my childhood. I always wanted to learn how to make them. So, after a lot of recipe testing, I’m excited for my sweets to be part of other people’s childhoods. I bake with a lot of love and passion, and of course – color!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I think my favorite memory was watching my abuela make pumpkin empanadas. I would make empanadas out of purple play-doh and serve them to my dad, which he would pretend to eat. I was a pretty outgoing child. As a young kid, I always loved baking! I knew that I would go into a job that would allow me to work with my hands and think on my feet. I didn’t want to work in an office, I needed the rush of the fast-paced environment. Growing up with two older sisters, we were always playing Nintendo, reading comic books, and sharing our creative projects.
Pricing:
- Conchas and Cuernitos ( Sweet Croissant/Horns) range from $8-$9.50 for a set of 6
- Marranitos (Ginger Bread Piggies) are $6.00 for a set of 6
- Pan de Polvo (Mexican Heart Wedding Cookies) are $12,00 for 2 dozen cookies
- Macaron bundle box (3 flavors) range from $15- $25
Contact Info:
- Address: 5221 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77401 (Pick up Location)
- Website: http://holapopbakeshop.com/
- Email: Holapopbakeshop@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holapopbakeshop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Holapopbakeshop/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/holapopbakeshop
Image Credit:
By me Kathy Vera
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