In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are excited to welcome La 57 to the Dallas Farmers Market family! La 57’s newest location inside The Market building is opening this month. Their story will not only leave you running for those amazing supreme croissants, it will also inspire you to chase your own dreams. We have often seen things happen in life that push us down; only to catapult us in ways we thought could only be dreams. Laura Macarena Gomez; founder of La 57 shares just that!
“Growing up, the happiest memories I have involved baking with my mom and my grandma. Every couple of months, my parents would pack us in the car and make that 12-hour drive to Mexico to see all of our friends & family who at the time, all lived there. Although such a long drive seemed never-ending; upon arriving to Highway 57 my excitement grew every time; knowing we nearing all that made me happy. My grandma, our baking, her food, our family, friends, and being surrounded by the warmth of togetherness. The idea of replicating that feeling never left me. Throughout the rest of my childhood and adolescence, I’d always say I’d grow up to bake. Yet, by the time I was reaching adulthood, I was told to snap out of that idea that didn’t seem real, so I did. I enrolled in college to study business and life kept going. In the midst of all that, I traveled to Paris and stayed long enough to take croissant classes and live amongst the locals which was one of the best experiences of my life. Yet, in that same season, I fell into moments of despair, questioning, and numbing all that I didn’t know how to comprehend. At one point, rock bottom arrived, then 2020 happened!
I know too well that 2020 was hard for many, no one can ever negate that. Yet, I was lucky enough to live on a farm with open space and plenty of room to literally breathe. Which is exactly what I did, not knowing how much I needed it and how it would change my life, forever. While the world literally spun trying to figure out what was happening, I was forced to slow down in the most beautiful way. For the first time ever, my mind was quiet long enough to recall what I really loved. I walked barefoot outside; I woke up with the sun and I spent an endless amount of time with my dog grounding into sunsets. I learned to meditate, I hungered for tranquility, and craved all that brought my soul peace. That meant letting go of what no longer served me, and unlearning much of what was only harming me. The year twenty-twenty was one of monumental change and growth, which awakened that deep desire to recreate that beautiful feeling of togetherness, that never left me.
During that same time, my little sister Camila asked for my help in baking to raise money. Being that I loved it, I was all in. Looking back, I still find it amazing how things happen in such unexplained ways. By the time she was done raising the money she needed, we had been selling our baked goods at different farmers markets, and out of nowhere, different bakeries were reaching out asking for bulk orders to sell at their shops. I had no idea where all of this had come from, and it didn’t matter. We kept going, we kept working and we fulfilled orders and met happy customers full of amazing compliments. The more we sold; the more people came out! As the lines grew longer, I made the decision that this had to be more than just a small cottage shop. And just like that, with not much more than the drive and desire; La 57 was officially born. The name La 57 came from Highway 57 which to this day leads me to happy memories. With the name, came even more drive to keep working hard, to keep overcoming obstacles, and above all, to keep baking.
Not long after La 57 opened in our hometown of Ennis and despite all that didn’t go as planned, our community came out to taste what we had baking. Every weekend our lines grew along with my surprise because guests were coming out for us, not only from out of town but even out of state; many from out of the country made detours to stop by our little town of Ennis, just to get a taste of La 57. During this season my curiosity wondered into what else we were capable of. While looking for further growth in DFW, the Dallas Farmers Market came to mind and although we had previously applied and had been denied before, I figured I’d give it just one last shot. What came shortly after was something no one could have anticipated. On our first weekend at the Dallas Farmers Market, we were not only unprepared but incredibly shocked by the massive never-ending line we had. That line began to form far before we were set up to sell and with each passing minute, it only grew. I didn’t know this would happen, DFM has no idea this would happen and together we have been riding this out as it continues to unfold. Every weekend that we set up at DFM, our beloved customers come out and support La 57 and we could not thank you all enough for being part of this beautiful journey we’ve been on, together. This month is special to us as it is not only the anniversary of our first location and Hispanic Heritage Month; we are also excited to be opening our second location inside The Market located at the historic Dallas Farmers Market. We are so humbled by the opportunities that continue to present themselves. Yet, we also know that it has much to do with our hard work, our desire to grow, and together; both as La 57 family and as our incredible community; our continued resilience! Thank You for supporting our labor of love!”
