Wagging tails and drooling smiles lined up outside the corner of Woodruff Avenue and Foster Road in Downey as pet owners and their furry friends anticipated the opening of Los Angeles' first Latina-owned dog bakery—La Pawnadería.
The bakery's opening is a significant accomplishment for owner Adriana Montoya, who operated from her home kitchen in South Gate throughout 2023. Back then, this single mom managed her business with the help of her own mother, plus friends or family who were willing to help her package orders—spending many days baking until the crack of dawn. Now, she has a fully staffed bakery.
“It’s a big deal for all of us because we started as a small business, baking from home, and it’s been a long journey,” said Montoya, taking a break from attending to customers and ensuring everything was in order in the kitchen. “We're celebrating being together as a community, and celebrating the Hispanic community, and being able to have our pets enjoy the best treats for them.”
At first glance, the bakery looks like any other panadería. The glass windows are hand-painted with colorful displays of papel picado, a pink cake, pan dulce, and a trail of white paw prints. Inside, the sweet smell of treats fills the air and a full kitchen in back has racks pilled high with conchas, puerquitos, and other Mexican treats and candy, which get packaged as they are ordered.
The bakery is unique. While the baked goods are edible, we don’t recommend taking a bite because this bakery specializes in custom cakes and Mexican-inspired pawnecito that are safe for your animals to eat, not necessarily humans.
Anything that you might find at a regular panadería, you can find here for your dog. Menu items include La Pawnadería classics, like slices of pastel cortadilllo (Mexican pink cake), conchas, puerquitos, paw-ncito (the dog version of a gansito), and even paletas payaso. More exclusive items come from other bakers that Montoya stocks in her kitchen, like empawnadas from Abuelitas Empanadas.
You won’t have to worry about any crazy ingredients here that could hurt your pet. Montoya continues to be 100% open in listing everything she uses in her treats.
“There’s no secret to the ingredients," she told L.A. TACO last August. "I don’t hide anything. The more transparent, the better for me and my customers. That’s what I like about my products, [they're] all handmade and baked to order. It’s grain-free. I use coconut flour, eggs, and peanut butter, and it’s not just generic peanut butter that you get at the store, where you have to worry about xylitol that's toxic for dogs.”
Meaning that you can now share your favorite Mexican treats, “candy,” and culture with your four-legged friend.
“It’s awesome! It's bringing the Mexican culture to the dogs,” said Kimberly Venegas, who attended the event with her dog, Echo, a white and somewhat shy chihuahua-Maltese mix. “It's good because I love Mexican food and can now share it with him.”
Customer Saira Saucido brought her months-old Xoloitzcuintli, or Mexican hairless dog, Maya, to the opening. For Saucido, embracing her culture is important. She does it with the clothes she wears, sporting a bright and colorful yellow embroidered shirt, and also by indulging in Mexican cuisine.
“It’s pretty exciting," she said, holding Maya on her arm. "I think that’s what made it so popular, so quickly: the fact that it's really rare. Conchas are part of our lives, and to be able to share one with our dog is pretty cute, and special."
For other customers, like Amber Castellanos, the bakery simply allows people to share a childhood memory and experience with their pets. Castellanos attended the event with her two pups, Luna and Mia. Two off-white, fluffy, curly-haired dogs that eagerly posed for pictures.
“Well, being Hispanic, I’ve always loved going to the panaderías, and now I get to share that with my dogs,” Castellanos said, Luna and Mia sitting idly by her feet. “I’m just like, this is so exciting, and I get to give them treats that look like what I'm eating, so it's so cute.”
Inside the bakery, other dog owners continued to make their way in, buying boxes full of treats and other items like Paw-cifico “beers.” Off to the side, in a designated area with small miniature couches, dogs propped themselves up as their owners snapped Instagramable photos.
One of Montoya’s proudest decorations in the bakery is the large frames that show her furry customers with wide smiles enjoying her cakes and treats. She spreads them throughout the bakery and each frame includes the dog’s social handles.
Besides serving as a dog bakery, La Pawnadería will also offer catered events, so you can host your dog's paw-ty in this beautiful space. She will be able to bake special cakes and treats for any party hosted there.
Dog owners like Jennifer said they’ve been looking for a place like this. She and her dog, Landry, a chocolate brown mini dachshund, were the ninth couple waiting in line for the bakery to open. Landry was sporting a biker look that day, wearing sunglasses and a ripped jean jacket.
“It’s going to be his birthday in February, so we’re here to find out about her cakes and have her make a specialized cake for him,” Jennifer said.
On Saturday, dogs of all sizes were able to try La Pawnadería’s sweet treats and also get some shopping in. Montoya invited a group of small businesses that sell dog products to vend at the event. They were selling anything from dog collars to L.A. dog hats and accessories.
Montoya's bakery is special in how she uses the space to uplift and showcase other small businesses. At the entrance, you will find dog artesanías like beaded collars, guayaberas, and zarapes from The Pup Gang. And Zippy Paw's stuffed dog toys, inspired by Mexican culture and shaped like pan dulce and other popular foods and snacks. Many other small businesses that handcraft their items are similarly stocked here.
“I’m all about sharing the spotlight," Montoya said. "I like being able to showcase other vendors that I enjoy. All the people you see here today are people I know personally, and I believe in their business, too.”
The bakery will be open six days a week from Tuesday through Sunday, with hours varying on the weekends. While it’s too early to tell, Montoya said she hopes the bakery will do well and looks forward to welcoming new and old customers. As for the initial opening, she was overjoyed by the support she received.
“I grew up here, and to be able to build a business in an amazing community that comes and shows out for me like this makes me want to cry,” she added. “I just want people to feel like they’re walking into a place where they feel at home, where they feel comfortable walking in with their pet, and where it's a safe space for you and your dog, you know?”
13256 Woodruff Ave. Downey, CA 90242
Open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 A.M. to 7 P.M. Saturday from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. and Sunday from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.
