A Taste of Venezuela: St. Louis Welcomes Authentic Homemade Breads

Discover the rich flavors and tradition of Venezuelan Baking at Pan Pa’ Ti Bakery

What started in farmers markets across the St. Louis region has become a beacon of fresh, delicious Venezuelan baked goods. Located at 17089 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, Mo., Pan Pa’ Ti Bakery is a family-owned Venezuelan Artisan Bakery. The owners, Jose De Leon and Maria Barragán, pride themselves on their homemade bread, entirely made from scratch. Another point of pride is their refusal to use any additives, preservatives or chemicals, only pure wholesome ingredients. From savory to sweet, all traditional Venezuelan flavors are represented with more than ten varieties at their bakery.

The savory baked goods include Pan de jamon, a Venezuelan ham traditional bread, and savory cachitos, which are stuffed breads with ham, turkey, and cheese inside. Sweet breads include Pan Dulce Relleno, which is stuffed sweet bread with flavors like coconut, dulce de leche, and guava. Also on the menu are golfeados, a Venezuelan cinnamon roll, pan pinitas, which are sweet breads, and mini bombas, Venezuelan mini stuffed donuts.

Jose’s vision for the bakery is for “people from all over the world to experience our bread and learn about Venezuelan culture.”

Jose ended up in St. Louis through a baseball scholarship to Harris-Stowe State University in 2011, and Maria followed shortly after in 2017. The inspiration to start the business came in 2020, as Maria had a huge passion for cooking and the couple saw a lack of Venezuelan goods in the market. Their cultural heritage inspired them to focus on homemade baked goods with authenticity in every bite.

“We grew up knowing how good food brings people together,” De Leon said. “We focus on making bread that feels like home and shows the world our culture.”

The journey to Pan Pa’ Ti Bakery was not without its bumps. Going into a new business has its hardships, especially when getting started. Jose and Maria initially struggled to figure out how to produce large enough quantities of bread to meet the market’s demands. They were able to overcome this by investing in courses with professional bakers who guided them in their processes.

To stay competitive in their industry, Pan Pa’ Ti has a 4-pronged approach. The first highlight is their unique bread, 100-percent homemade with a large variety of unique tastes. The second focus is on quality and consistency. Jose and Maria make sure their customers have a great experience every time they visit. Third, they focus on customer engagement. They keep everyone in the loop using their social media accounts and foster community through them. Finally, they pride themselves on continuous learning. Jose and Maria are always looking to learn new skills and invest time in improving and operating their equipment to be more efficient.

“We want people to remember that it doesn’t matter if you move to a new country with a different language and culture,” De Leon said. “You can still make your dreams come true with discipline, dedication, patience and love for what you do.”

For more information on Pan Pa’ Ti Bakery, click here.