Architects: Clayton Korte
Main Contractor: Joeris
Photo Credit: Bonnie Arbittier
Materials Used: Longleaf Pine, Reclaimed Wood
It’s been a busy decade for brothers José and David Cáceres since they opened the doors of their bakery-café, La Panaderia, in downtown San Antonio – the culmination of a lifelong dream, but also the start of an exciting journey.
The brothers have had a passion for baking since childhood, handed down to them by their mother who was a skilled baker, using traditional methods including long-cultured live starters and hand shaping techniques to produce artisan loaves that the boys would sell on the streets of Mexico City.
Eventually, the brothers took over their mother’s business, growing it into one of Mexico’s largest baking companies, with contracts to supply bread and their signature pan dulce to huge businesses nationwide, including Walmart and Starbucks.
A passion for bread culture
But industrial-scale baking was never the big dream; the brothers yearned for the small, artisanal approach that had made their mother’s produce so sought-after. David completed a cookery school degree, and the pair made the strategic decision to follow their other big dream – a life in the Unites States. They settled on San Antonio, TX, where they felt their baked goods would be highly sought-after by the Hispanic community – and they were proved right!
Since La Panaderia opened its doors in 2014, the Cáceres brothers have added a further three locations to their portfolio – the most recent of which opened in October 2024 on Broadway, just around the corner from the Pearl complex in the historic King William district – with plans to open a further three locations in 2025. The business is scaling up for sure – but the emphasis is still on artisan quality, with exquisitely beautiful bakes and authentic Mexican fayre, infused with love and care.
This ethos extends to the café interiors themselves, which are designed for a convivial feel that encourages patrons to linger over hearty tortas, filled croissants and the bakery’s signature French toast.
Interiors infused with love
We were honored to supply wood flooring for the flagship branch of La Panaderia – a design element that combines with rustic wooden wall panelling and ceiling cladding to bring a laid-back, rustic feel that is balanced against crisp penny-tile floors and industrial-style furniture and fixtures for a utilitarian yet warm and welcoming feel.
The floors for the original branch have a rich heritage all their own; they were milled from 100-year-old longleaf pine joists that were salvaged from San Antonio’s famous Joske’s department store, which first opened in 1867 and operated until the late 1980s.
The joists were manufactured from ancient pine trees of a type that is no longer harvested; it’s estimated that when they were installed in Joske’s, the beams came from trees that were already centuries old.
The result is a floor that is steeped in history, with a rich natural color and pronounced grain that is full of ‘perfect imperfections’ – cracks, sap marks, knots and nail holes – while also being extremely durable and perfectly adapted to life in a bustling café environment.
This character is an ideal fit for the ethos at La Panaderia, which honors the heritage of the brothers and their home-grown business, but also the built heritage of San Antonio, which is something we’re truly passionate about here at WoodCo.
The inimitable appeal of reclaimed floors
Reclaimed flooring is our specialty here at WoodCo. In addition to sourcing wood for our flooring, stair parts and wall panelling from sustainably managed forests here in the US and across Europe, we go to great lengths to source, salvage and mill historic timbers from old buildings with rich heritage that is then preserved for future generations to enjoy.
If you have an upcoming architectural or interior design project and you’d like to explore the possibility of using reclaimed wood, we’d love to help – simply get in touch to discuss your vision.
