Culture & Community | Economic Development | Fair Haven | Arts & Culture | Youth Arts Journalism Initiative | Culinary Arts
In Mi Lupita’s warm Grand Avenue kitchen, 54-year-old Yolanda Guzman Elias and her sister Batriz Guzman Elias were making culinary magic, cutting fresh strawberries and slicing thin meat before a morning rush. The smell of dough hung low and thick in the air, wafting from the storefront to its street-facing front door and windows. The bakery was ready for another day.
This is Mi Lupita, a cozy bakery that Guzman Elias has run, often with the help of family members, for over a decade at 269 Grand Ave. After starting the business from her Lloyd St. home in Fair Haven, she has grown it into a beloved neighborhood bakery, with sweet and savory items and a tamale operation that takes advanced notice and some family culinary traditions.
“This business means everything to me, my solvency, it means everything to me because I have my family here,” said Yolanda Guzman Elias.
Guzman Elias’ story begins in San Juan, Tlaxcala, Mexico, where she grew up before immigrating to New Haven. As a child, she said, she always dreamed of owning a bakery, but knew that her parents and family would likely not be able to help afford it. As a young woman, she worked as a security executive for a company in Mexico, saving up funds to support herself and her family.
In March 2002, she made the journey to New Haven, working in restaurants until her son Jeremy Tecta Guzman was born. After becoming pregnant and having a newborn, she wasn’t able to work outside the home, and so for eight years she ran a baking business out of her living room in Fair Haven. She also worked with two neighborhood churches, Santa Rosa de Lima and San Anthony, to build a loyal customer base.
Some of her signature bakes included sugar-topped pan de muerto, tlacoyos, and gelatinas (gelatinized desserts)—all sweets that she still specializes in today. For her, the treats are part of a love language and a form of cultural exchange, telling a story of migration, family and culinary tradition one bite at a time.
Twelve years ago, Yolanda Guzman Elias saw an open lot on Grand Avenue, the corridor that builds the bustling business district in the heart of Fair Haven. She remembered that years before, her brother had suggested that if she find a space, she name her dream bakery after the Lady of Guadalupe. So the spot became Mi Lupita, so named in his honor. For the last dozen years, she has grown a loyal following for her breads, baked goods, meat, and meat, cheese and mole-filled tamales.
It hasn’t always been easy, she said. As an immigrant, she once felt that it was impossible to open a bakery. Even after the storefront opened, it seemed that every day presented a new financial or municipal barrier. But with hope, she saved enough money to buy the space, and said she fought hard to get the opportunity to finally open her dream. She still feels eternally grateful that she was able to accomplish a milestone and provide for her family, she said.
On a recent Tuesday, the shop’s air was warm and thick with the smell of fresh pan and desserts including sugar-kissed conchas, bright shell-shapes with colored sugar dusted on top. On the wall, the Virgin of Guadalupe looked benevolently over the store, beaming at another day in business.
“I like it, I love being here working because I do what I like.” Guzman Elias said, adding that she’s glad to make Grand Avenue a little sweeter. “I like living here, it's quiet and here is like my town because now it is, now here I am.”
She has help in the kitchen, she added. While her sister, Batriz Guzman Elias, immigrated a year and a half after she did, they made the same journey. Batriz has since joined her sister and helped her build the business. Like her sister, she loves Fair Haven.
New Haven is more than just her home, she added—it’s her city (“es mi pueblo,” she said during an interview). She thanks God everyday for having the chance to live her dream.
“It's cheaper than other bakeries, and they treat you well,” said Teresa Torres, a frequent customer of the bakery who has been loyal since they started the business out of their home. “And they always give you something … a bread or two.”
She feels as if they are very available to their customers and have great hospitality. “They tell you ‘Here for yourself or your daughter, hope everything goes well, come back,’” said Torres. She loves how she is treated with warmth and blessings the minute she walks into the building, but most importantly she loves el pan de fiesta which is a traditional Mexican delight native to Tlaxcala.
Torres can't help coming back to buy her favorite bread, relleno de queso, but to also just chat with the owner. That’s because Mi Lupita isn’t just a bakery, she said—it’s a heartfelt welcome to the community. When customers leave the bakery, the sisters wish them well and send them on their way with blessings. It’s like being part of a family.
This article comes from the 2023 Cohort of the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative. Maria Teniza is a senior at Hill Regional Career High School. To read more about the YAJI 2023 cohort and read more from students and alumni, click here.