La Cruz’s bakers; I interviewed Michael about his journey and the much-needed service he and Yolanda are creating with ‘MY Cakes LaCruz’!
Reminiscing about how I met different folks in La Cruz brings a smile! My first memory of Michael Crane humbled me; it was six in the morning at Philo’s bar where Canada was playing Sweden in the Olympic hockey game. Philo was kind enough to open for those of us who had to embrace our roots! Needless to say, the room was full of Canadians except for Philo and his one staff member, Gris, who came in to serve us… and Michael. When I asked why he was there he said, “My team lost
Mike moved to La Cruz, full time, in 2014. When asked what brought him to La Cruz, in typical humor he replied “My 2002 Ford Windstar. But, seriously, it was largely an accident! In 2004, my aunt and uncle were on vacation in Punta de Mita and were having a drink at a bar and started talking to Helen who lives here in La Cruz. She told them that they should really visit the town to see it first-hand. The next day they came to visit and called me from the beach to tell me they found a property they would like to buy and wanted me to be a partner. I agreed (sight unseen) and the rest is history. The town was a quiet place; there was no marina at that time and the people could not have been more welcoming.”
When he and his family sold that property Mike bought a house in town and truly became one of La Cruz’s own! Many people met Michael on his nightly walk-a-bouts and as he became friends with them he shared his baking, with everyone who tasted it saying, “I want more”. Friends suggested that this was a much-needed talent in La Cruz and one thing led to another including many restaurants carrying his delectable homemade goodies. Next, Michael was developing new recipes for restaurants with specific tastes.
His journey to moving to La Cruz, in Michael’s own words:
“In 2000 I was diagnosed with a rare problem in one of the bones in my head. After surgery to repair it failed, I was unable to return to work due to a whole range of odd symptoms. Instead, I went to the kitchen; it was a place where I could play. That changed everything for me. Cooking became my therapy.
I started volunteering as a mentor for my son’s high school robotics team where I could take my time and do what I could do. That experience taught me a lot about what is important in life.
Later, I started making cookies to sell at flea markets (like the Sunday market in La Cruz). I became well known for my biscotti and chocolate chip cookies as well as for my hot chocolate and peanut butter and bacon cookies. For me, it simply became too expensive to live in the states, so here I am. I love the people and their way of life.”
Since those initial days, Michael fell in love with the beautiful, Yolanda; many know her from when she served them at Philo’s or as Daniel’s mom [of Tatewari]. I asked Michael about finding love in his new hometown. “When you are open to living differently and truly getting to know the people and the culture, wonderful things can happen! For me, that is Yolanda Ortega Gonzalez. She has taught me more about the culture and of course the language than I ever could have imagined. I couldn’t be more in love!”
Knowing a little about Yolanda’s family I asked about suddenly being part of a huge Mexican family which, other than catapulting him into the language and culture; I wondered how that was for him.
“There is a lot to learn! In a family of 13 children, there are bound to be ups and downs and add to that a different culture and it can make your head spin. The awesome thing is that each can teach you something different.” When asked if there are challenges, Michael responded “Lots of challenges for sure, but nothing that we can’t tackle together. It is one thing to learn the language and quite another to sit around a table of twenty or so relatives with all talking at the same time, at different speeds and with different intonations. Add a little tequila or a beer or two and it can be more than a little difficult for someone who is relatively new to the language. A year and a half later and it can still be difficult.”
Yolanda and Michael have created a partnership in both their private and professional lives taking the baking to a whole new level. The name is MY Cakes LaCruz. The company belongs to Yolanda. The name came from a conversation that Yolanda had with her hairdresser when they started dating. The hairdresser asked who she was dating and Yolanda replied “Mike”. Her hairdresser asked “Boater Mike?” Yolanda said “No”. The hairdresser asked “Guitar Mike?” Yolanda stated “No – Mike Cakes”
From that interaction came MY Cakes for Mike and Yolanda. True story! I love that!!
They now offer the following; try reading this and not be craving something yummy!
- Carrot cake
- Very Chocolate, Chocolate cake (with over 1 ½ lbs of real chocolate)
- New York Cheesecake (with a variety of toppings)
- Limoncello cake (with limoncello curd filling and candied lemon)
- Tres Leches with Tres Alcohol (Kaluha, Amaretto and Bailey’s Irish Cream); our twist on a traditional Mexican cake
- Chocolate Dream cake; currently only available at Gecko Rojo
- Banana cake (with banana curd filling and made with REAL bananas, not flavoring; currently available only at Octopus’s Garden
- We also make hamburger rolls for Ballena Blanca, Octopus’s Garden, Cafe Shulel and Rincon del Buzo. Each is made to the taste of the restaurant e.g. Ballena Blanca has only rolls with onion while Octopus’s Garden prefers a rich, buttery sweet roll.
- Tequila de Dragon – we discovered while experimenting with a new recipe that chile and tequila is a good combination and my friend and chef Edwin Robles of Ballena Blanca asked if he could sell it at his restaurant. We offer the reposado at Ballena Blanca and a tequila blanca at Octopus’s Garden where Alfredo prefers the chile with the white tequila.
- Whole Grain Mustard – we started making our own mustard when our normal source dried up! We need it to make the dressing used by Ballena Blanca for their coleslaw and tacos.
Enough teasing, were can you purchase these yummies?
- Ballena Blanca
- Octopus’s Garden
- The La Cruz Inn
- Britannia
- Los Arroyos Verdes
- Café del Don Simon (next to red chairs)
- Cafe Shule’l and their new venture Iguanacaxtle
- La Cava
And the best seller; which I can confirm by my guests not only complimenting but begging me to get the recipe from Michael (and no he did not share)… is the Carrot Cake by far.
We’re so excited that Yolanda and Michael are opening a bakery in La Cruz! I asked Michael to tell us all about it. “This past year we added a new level to the house. This will allow us to move the bedroom from the first floor to the third floor, leaving the ground floor available for the business. We wanted to be open this year but, several things got in the way and then we got entirely too busy to focus on setting-up the new place. We expect that we will be open sometime in September or October; we’ll keep you posted. Our offerings will depend largely on time and the demands of the customers. Aside from the cakes and hamburger buns that we make now, we will most likely expand our selection of cakes slightly and offer them in more than one size. We would also like to expand our selection of breads. Aside from that (and if time permits), we would like to offer a selection of cookies as well as lemon curd and a few non-baked things that the people might like such as roasted red peppers with garlic, whole grain mustard, and salad dressing. People have asked about gluten free offerings but, in baking, cooking gluten free in the same place as regular baking is a big no-no due to cross contamination through the air. That being said, we may offer a flourless chocolate cake as an option.”
Cinnamon buns a.k.a. sticky buns
When I asked them what they enjoy most about what they do?
“What we enjoy most is providing opportunities for local restaurants to grow their business and providing customers with freshly made products instead of highly processed store-bought products. We also enjoy playing with flavors and combinations to create some unique things. We like the challenge of creating something new as we did for Octopus’s garden with the Banana cake and their hamburger rolls or the chocolate dream cake at Gecko Rojo.”
Their clientele includes everyone and they’re committed to keeping it that way by offering items that appeal to everyone. Their greatest reward is that the restaurants are enjoying more success as they serve and sell baked goods from MY Cakes LaCruz. Michael says “The fact that Yolanda and I can share in this together is an especially wonderful thing. The greatest challenge is finding the right supplier for the right ingredients; we want to use local ingredients. The most overwhelming is the success that has come to us and the people constantly asking when we will open a bakery.”
They’re inspired by building a business that benefits everyone and gives them an opportunity to help others… I like that!!
Michael cooks as well as bakes and when asked about his favorite ‘nonbaking’ recipe?
“That is a tough one! In general, playing with food is fun for me. Pulled pork is a favorite to cook for me but, a favorite recipe has to be fried stuffed olives; a recipe that is my grandmother’s. You also need to allow me a favorite Mexican recipe which has to be Yolanda’s tuna filet with a rice and vegetable mix served with salsa Mexicana; a perfect marriage of flavors.”
The hamburger that won us the best hamburger in LaCruz; a piece of filet mignon wrapped in layers of roasted vegetables and then wrapped in bacon and placed on top of a home made hamburger roll like the ones found at Cafe Shule’l or Rincon del Buzo.
Chicken potpie
I asked about Michael’s feelings about La Cruz.
La Cruz has gone thru many changes; do you see them as for the better?
“Some changes are for the better but when changes attempt to change the culture of the town, I don’t see that as good.”
What do you see as the greatest change to La Cruz since you got here; do you like that change?
“There are a lot more people here now, whether it is vacationers or residents. More people aren’t necessarily bad but I wish more people would take the time to understand the culture and the wonderful people that live here!”
If you had a magic wand, what would your wish for La Cruz de Huanacaxtle be 5 years from now and beyond?
“Bigger isn’t always better. I loved La Cruz when it was smaller and I fear that growth will wipe away some of the native cultures. This is not our country and we need to respect the will of the people.”
What is the one thing you’re most proud of in your life, greatest achievement kinda thing?
“My children who have grown to be independent thinkers and incredibly diverse individuals!”
Living in a beachfront town do you enjoy water sports; sailing, surfing, fishing, etc? If so, what is your favorite?
“Water sports aren’t our thing but we do enjoy our walks on the beach.”
What one thing do you think people ‘about town’ don’t know about you?
“I have two U.S. patents.” Hmmmmm but he hasn’t shared what those are; I guess you’ll have to ask Michael when you meet him.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“ El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.” President Benito Juarez (Liberated Mexico) “Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.”
“To me, this means that we as outsiders living in a new nation, need to respect and leave whole, the culture that was/is here, not change it to our liking. Respect.”
Anything I’ve missed that you’d like to add?
“Quality! We won’t compromise quality in anything we make. If we can’t find the right ingredient or make it ourselves, we won’t offer it. For example, we have looked at a myriad of different products, all claiming to be “butter” but pure butter does not include oils or soya; these are by definition margarine but labeled as butter because the majority is milk. They are cheaper by far but we won’t sacrifice quality. Yes – that means our products might cost a little more but, we think in the end, it is well worth it!”
Place your order with MY Cakes La Cruz (only whole cakes for now) at 322.193.6524 or visit their Facebook page to order; https://www.facebook.com/MYCakesLaCruz/?fref=ts
Great article. Can’t wait to come back and try this bakery . sounds awesome
Thank you! Yes, they are the best!!