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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 14 ARCH 26-APR. 1, 2021
Emilio Super Bakery Corp owner Guadalupe Pita Courtesy of Guadalupe Pita
South Bronx bakery
battles COVID
BY JASON COHEN
After losing many family members
to COVID-19, Bronx bakery Emilio
Super Bakery Corp and owner Guadalupe
Pita has not only survived the
pandemic but helped feed the community
as well.
Pita, 38, who operates the eatery in
Morrisania with her husband Hugo,
told the Bronx Times this has been
the hardest year as proprietors.
“We were scared,” she recalled.
“We didn’t want to get COVID-19.”
Shuttered from March until May
and forced to furlough employees,
things were dire. But, they persevered,
as running a business is in her
blood.
Pita’s father worked for over 20
years for a Manhattan deli before being
laid off. He later opened his own
restaurant “Tulcingo” and operated it
for several years before his death.
“When he passed away I said let
me keep up with his dream,” she commented.
Seven years ago she and her husband
opened the bakery at 6A East
Clarke Place, in the same community
they live. Before the pandemic, it was
a popular place that people fl ocked to
all of the time.
From May to September business
was brutal and the couple wasn’t able
to pay rent or bills. Yet, they stayed
afl oat. Their landlord was accommodating
and knew some of their family
died from the coronavirus.
“Our landlord told us we should
stay open and give it a try,” she explained.
“It was a lot of work. It was
overwhelming.”
With fi ve kids at home, closing the
bakery wasn’t an option. They worked
nearly 90 hours a week and learned
how to make Mexican sweet bread,
fl an, cheesecake, bread pudding and
muffi ns.
In December their fortunes
changed when the eatery was the recipient
of a $10,000 small business relief
grant from their partnership with
LISC NYC. This helped them not only
survive the pandemic but allowed
them to donate more than 100,000
meals to people in the south Bronx
and bring back their staff.
“They try to pay us,” she explained.
“I tell them if you need breakfast anytime
just give us a call. We saw so
many people without jobs. We were
very concerned.”
Business has picked up slowly
since hybrid learning began in the
fall and Pita hopes as more people get
vaccinated that things will soon return
to normalcy.
Through all of the darkness of the
past year, it was her children who
kept her focused.
“I try to keep calm and motivate
them (her kids),” she said. “I know
they’re scared because they saw so
many family members and friends dying.”
While the employees are only
working a few days a week, Pita sees
positive things on the horizon. She
stressed how grateful she is to LISC
NYC and knows that without their
fi nancial boost the bakery may be
closed.
In the future, she hopes to expand
their business and one day open
“Tulcingo” in the memory of her father.
“We know it’s not better yet, but
we’re getting there,” she stated.
“Every child deserves an excellent, free
education that mines his or her unique and
highest potential.” Emily Kim, CEO
Cada niño merece una educación excelente y
gratuita que explote su potencial único y más alto.
Learn more at zetaschools.org/apply!
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