A Latina business owner pursues a passion for cooking, baking conchas with a twist

Saint Anthony – Julie Contreras started her business Concha Style in 2020 to pursue her passion for cooking and baking.

Contreras has a degree in biology with minors in neurobiology and chemistry. She says she puts those skills to use as a small business owner.

“This is where my chemistry background comes in. I love the food chemistry of all these things,” Contreras said from the kitchen of her small home, where she was baking three days ago.

Yeast and dairy free are her specialties. She said she uses organic and locally sourced products.

“Sourdough makes it a little healthier to combine all the bread and stuff,” she said.

People can find Contreras’ products at the Alamo Heights Farmers Market and the Pearl Farmers Market.

“Friday is our mixing day, and everything ferments, and then Saturday is our bread day,” she said. “Then on Sunday morning, we wake up, at 4:30 in the morning, and we finish our conchas and things and focaccia. And so those things are baked fresh right before the market.

Contreras credits her family and friends as a big factor in her success. She said she is in the process of moving into an industrial kitchen and opening a storefront.

“I think it’s important to never doubt yourself. “A lot of it is like blind faith going forward,” she says.

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