Angela and Jose Mojica have found sweet success in Manchester with Dulces Bakery. The couple draw from their roots in making their small business a success. Angela is Colombian and Jose is Puerto Rican.
“New Hampshire doesn’t have many Hispanic things,” Angela said in an interview with NHPR referring to Hispanic-Latino owned enterprises. She said she likes that the state is accepting of different cultures, “We can showcase a little bit of our world.” The menu is reflective of that with flan, tembleke, quesitos, pastelitos de guayaba, (Puerto Rican puffed pastry stuffed with guava), and much more.
But it’s their best-seller, the tres leches cake, that earned the People’s Choice at the 2016 Chocolate Lover’s Fantasy competition, that patrons go to the bakery again and again.
Angela and Jose originally opened Dulces Bakery on Manchester’s West Side in 2015, but were forced to relocate to Amherst Street in 2018. By March 2019, they had expanded to include a dining area. The bakery is now double the size of its original location, and the couple have added a dessert truck to sell their confections at festivals and events.
Running the business hasn’t been easy. Neither has the experience of moving to the U.S. as a child for Angela. She said classmates said hurtful things to her for being “different” and abused her just for not speaking English.
The once stay-at-home mom said being bullied helped her develop a thick skin. Now, she teaches her kids the value of being different, “Don’t let fear keep you from your dreams or reaching your goals. Don’t hold back and keep moving forward.
Angela originally immigrated to Staten Island, New York, with her family when she was four. Jose was born in Puerto Rico, moving to New York to live with his grandmother to pursue gymnastics when he was teenager. They moved to NH in 2002. “We fell in love with the state. It felt like home. It’s family based,” Angela says. “We love everything about it.”
Publisher’s Notes: This story is in part an aggregate from NHPR and Manchester Ink Link.