270:. Despite not having previous experience as a baker, Carmen grew up around bakeries as her father worked on the side as a sought-after baker in the Mission District. Carmen spent all of her retirement money on purchasing the failing bakery that would become La Mejor Bakery at the suggestion of one of her father's old co-workers who was also a family friend. The family friend provided her with mentorship on how to run a bakery and got her dad's old coworkers to bake for her on their days off.
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The bakery wasn't profitable in its first two years as it was located in a bad neighborhood and didn't have a full-time staff. To attract more customers, Carmen would give away free cookies and open the bakery earlier, close in the middle of the day to rest, and stay open later than other nearby
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On
February 27, 2023, the bakery was recognized by the city of San Francisco as a San Francisco legacy business for its cultural importance. This program allows businesses to participate in official city publicity campaigns and receive grants designed to help small businesses.
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bakeries. As business and the neighborhood was improving, Carmen hired a young baker who recently immigrated from Mexico and he worked as her only full-time for 20 years before moving to nearby
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The bakery is named after either the bakery of Carmen Elias' family friend or a bakery that her father and his friends would frequent in
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made at La Mejor Bakery is provided to various elementary schools around the city to teach students about
Mexican cuisine and culture.
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The window art on the bakery's storefront is hand painted monthly by a local artist to reflect seasonal celebrations.
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in the
Mission who may be alone in the United States and seek connection to the culture that they left behind.
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La Mejor Bakery was opened by Carmen Elias in 1993 after her early retirement from working as a banker at
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in 2024 after 30 years of continuous operation at its sole location at 3329 24th Street.
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of San
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426:"Bakeries Celebrate Three Kings Day in San Francisco's Mission District | KQED"
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La Mejor Bakery's application for San
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In 2015, The La Mejor Bakery was featured in San
Francisco's entry in
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pastries, Mexican and
Central American alike, and other foods such as
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458:"Historic Panaderias Hold On for Dear Life in the Mission District"
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made at La Mejor Bakery is prepared by three employees.
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and other foods to events centered around 24th street.
514:"La Mejor is Simply a Better Bakery in the Mission"
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151:37.7521°N 122.4194°W
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142:122°25′10″W
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618:2024-04-20
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348:References
139:37°45′08″N
107:California
80:and other
44:Restaurant
613:0362-4331
284:pan dulce
276:San Bruno
252:pan dulce
203:empanadas
197:pan dulce
78:Pan dulce
74:Food type
638:Eater SF
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314:See also
66:Owner(s)
339:Tijuana
262:History
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207:tamales
174:Spanish
120:Country
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233:. The
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