By Nadezhda Otterstad–
For nearly two decades, Pastry Chef José Tellez has been serving his sweet creations at Pastry Heaven European Bakery, located on the outskirts of Citrus Heights in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center.
Among familiar desserts like bear claw pastries, cinnamon rolls, and croissants, customers know Tellez for his custom cakes created for special events. Beautiful three-tier cakes can be seen on Pastry Heaven’s website and social media pages, with seemingly endless choices.
Tellez’s interest in advancing his career as a pastry chef started with a single gingerbread house that he was asked to make at the San Jose bakery where he was first employed.
“After the bosses saw what he could do, they encouraged him to progress, and he started to work his way up to assistant pastry chef,” his son David Tellez told The Sentinel.
These days, the bakery Tellez runs with his family is frequented by loyal customers. Bakery staff say about 50 cakes per week are made on site, with popular picks being a Fruit Basket cake and a Napoleon cake. Croissants are also a popular choice.
Tellez has been in the bakery industry for 30 years, according to the bakery’s website. Previously, he worked as an assistant pastry chef at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, as well as pastry chef at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, head pastry chef at the Grand Sheraton Hotel in Sacramento, and at Sacramento’s famous Ettore’s Bakery.
At some point, the path to entrepreneurship made more sense, and according to his son, Tellez spent a year from 2003 to 2004 baking from his home garage.
“Dad gained his loyal clients starting at church, [and through] word of mouth, said the younger Tellez. “We still have these same clients to this day that keep our business going.”
In 2005, Tellez’s father opened a shop unofficially in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center, right before the recession hit. Tellez shared that it was a difficult time for businesses.
“The neighboring businesses in the same strip mall never filled up after the recession. They stayed vacant,” Tellez said.
Pastry Heaven European Bakery is located at 8069 Madison Ave., at the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Madison Avenue. The bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For nearly two decades, Pastry Chef José Tellez has been serving his sweet creations at Pastry Heaven European Bakery, located on the outskirts of Citrus Heights in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center...
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