Since 1986, La Estrella Bakery has been much more than a place to buy pan dulce, it’s been a pillar of Tucson’s cultural life, a space of ritual, memory, and early morning conversations over conchitas and cuernitos.
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, host Carlos Quintero speaks with Erica Franco, second-generation member of the family behind La Estrella, about what it means to carry on a tradition baked in love, community, and resilience.
Erica shares stories of 3 a.m. baking shifts, drawings from kindergarten fans, and the return to the barrio bakery where it all began. This is a conversation about food, but also about family, belonging, and the quiet power of staying close to your roots.
Hosting, editing, and post-production by Carlos Quintero.
Notes and Resources
La Estrella in the Media
• Claire Graham, “In the Family: La Estrella Bakery Expands to Keep Tucson Sweet,” KGUN 9, October 18, 2023. https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/southside-news/in-the-family-la-estrella-bakery-expands-to-keep-tucson-sweet
• Vamos a Tucson, “La Estrella Bakery: Una tradición familiar,” Vamos a Tucson Blog, September 7, 2023. https://www.vamosatucson.com/vamos-blog/post/la-estrella-bakery-una-tradicin-familiar-en-tucson (In Spanish).
• Ellice Lueders, “La Estrella Just Expanded to Tucson’s West Side: Here’s What You Missed at the Grand Opening,” This Is Tucson / Tucson.com, August 3, 2021. https://thisistucson.com/eat/article_52690386-f401-11eb-b1a5-fb5acd5a9527.htm
• “A Tour of La Estrella Bakery,” YouTube video, 3:08, posted by Tucson Museum of Art, November 10, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnLZE-yVgoY
• G. Daniela Galarza, “Day of the Dead Calls for Pan de Muerto. Watch How One Bakery Makes It,” The Washington Post, October 26, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/10/26/pan-de-muerto-la-estrella-bakery-tucson
• “La Estrella Bakery: Tucson Family Shares Generations of Tradition,” YouTube video, 5:12, posted by KGUN9, October 26, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl4TXp-YmkM
• KGUN 9 “La Estrella Bakeries Taking Business a Day at a Time in Age of COVID‑19 Pandemic,” KGUN 9, April 24, 2020. https://www.kgun9.com/open/la-estrella-bakeries-taking-business-a-day-at-a-time-in-age-of-covid-19-pandemic
• Vanessa Barchfield, “Tucson’s La Estrella Bakery a Mainstay for Pan de Muerto,” AZPM, November 2, 2015. https://news.azpm.org/s/34718-tucsons-la-estrella-bakery-a-local-mainstay-for-pan-de-muerto-bread-of-the-dead/
• Ernesto Portillo Jr., “Neto’s Tucson Bakery the Star of a Documentary on Mexican Treats (So Much More),” Tucson.com, July 21, 2013. https://tucson.com/news/local/netos-tucson-bakery-the-star-of-a-documentary-on-mexican-treats-so-much-more/article_db826164-8fba-52b9-ad1c-fea1131dcaa5.html
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