Meet The Concha Queen Of West Texas And Eastern New Mexico

West Texas and Eastern New Mexico are full of extremely talented bakers- people who can turn a delicious treat into a beautiful work of art. And thanks to cottage laws, many folks interested in selling baked goods can legally do so outside of a commercial kitchen.

Baking trends come and go, from fancy fondant to burn-away images and beyond. It's fun and exciting to see the innovation. However, when I saw Margarita Juarez's creations, which blend the innovative with a long, lovely tradition, I was truly impressed.

That's why I would like to introduce you to The Concha Queen, who has clearly earned the title.

A concha is a variety of Mexican pan dulce (sweet bread) which is somewhat equitable to brioche bread with a crunchy, sweet topping. The history of conchas is debatable, but they do have a history going back to at least the mid-1860s when the French occupied Mexico, and this delicious fusion of food cultures was born.

Concha in Spanish translates to "shell" in English and it is easy to see why the pastry is named after the animals. Margarita Juarez honors the concha shape in creative and fun ways. With this Spongebob dozen, they remain aquatic (and adorable!) in theme:

The Concha Queen doesn't limit herself though (what Queen would?) and has curated concha collections that range from horror movie characters to Mean Girls. These Ninja Turtle and Mario conchas are getting me right in the 90s kid feels:

In addition to exciting decorations, The Concha Queen also offers her conchas in a variety of flavors like Cookies N Cream, Mazapan, Abuelita, Nutella, Dulce de Leche, Churro, and PB&J.