LONG BEACH, CA — Since the Outstanding Bakery category was first introduced in 2023, the James Beard Foundation has elevated a select cohort of bakeries, such as Yoli Tortilleria and ZU Bakery, from across the US and its territories.
Gusto Bread in Long Beach, CA, is one of the few businesses — and the only panadería — to be shortlisted for the Outstanding Bakery category in back-to-back years.
“To be recognized on a national level and highlighted in this way is humbling,” said Ana Belén Salatino, co-owner of Gusto Bread. “We appreciate that this group of people has chosen us to be representative of something that means so much to us … It could have been any of us, because everyone’s doing beautiful work uplifting food traditions and feeding their communities.”
A taste of tradition
The modern panadería got its start as a cottage operation in 2017 before Ana and Arturo Enciso, lead baker and co-owner, established Gusto’s brick-and-mortar storefront in 2020.
The bakery’s robust menu draws inspiration from ingredients tied to the founders’ heritage — Arturo’s roots trace back to Mexico and Ana’s to Argentina — along with the food culture cultivated in California. The result? Unparalleled pastries with unique composition and flavors made from masa madre, or sourdough.
“He doesn’t have a formal training background, so he’ll come up with stuff that may or may not work, but he’s usually successful in at least having an idea, executing it and being willing to share that,” Ana said.
Arturo’s creations include Concha de Cacao, a sourdough sweet bread with a crunchy chocolate top; Medialuna, an Argentinian half-moon laminated pastry; and Nixtamal Queen, a kouign-amann-style treat made with masa madre and house-made corn masa.
The constant innovation is driven by Arturo’s self-taught discipline and willingness to try new things as well as ample access to local ingredients.
Receiving a nod from James Beard, as well as a callout in a December 2024 article in The New York Times, has increased foot traffic to Gusto Bread, keeping business steady. On the front-of-house side, the bakery is opening customers’ eyes to a different type of bakery experience.
“The people that come here can appreciate what we’re doing and also what our team puts into our offerings, both in the baking and service side,” she said. “It’s been fun to have those kinds of interactions where people are coming in with a little more curiosity about what we’re doing so they can engage more with what they’re eating.”
People-first practices
As Gusto Bread grows, Arturo and Ana are reevaluating how to incorporate their values and support their 20-person staff. With the labor-intensive nature of the baking industry and standard of early call times, finding ways to support team members is omnipresent.
“We all deserve a chance at a workplace that contributes to our health,” she said. “Our aim overall is to make our space the most positive for the people that are part of it.”
To keep up with demand and wholesale accounts, Gusto Bread operates five days a week. One way the bakery supports its team members is through paid time off, which gives them the time they need to rest and recover.
“People can choose the days they want to take off, and we just schedule around that,” Ana said. “It’s something that’s still evolving that I’m hoping we can continue to get better at and offer even better benefits than we do now.”
Five years in and with multiple nods from influential entities such as James Beard under its belt, Gusto Bakery is sticking to its roots, something that Ana notes has been instrumental in the panadería’s longevity.
“Everyone has so much to offer and draw from that’s unique,” she said. “I think it’s worth your energy to focus on that uniqueness or find a way to accentuate and share it versus giving in to what others want from you.”
