Óscar Gómez is not your typical baker. He is an artist—not just in his years of work as a master who has learned to combine flours, butter, sugar, and other ingredients, but in the way he expresses his passion by crafting experiences and memories, not just food consumed by millions around the world.
“I also sing,” he adds very matter-of-factly.
When Óscar speaks, it seems as though he measures each letter, each word, each expression carefully, as if giving life to the message he wants to convey.
For him, traditional cooking—and in this case, the trade of baking—takes on the characteristics of a cultural heritage.
“I don’t create products, I create memories. My essence, what inspires me, is building those memories,” he says.
Baking is in Óscar’s blood. His grandfather was a baker, as was his father. From the age of six, he began helping his father shape the dough that would later become the teleras or bolillos to accompany the stews his mother cooked.
“I had a very happy childhood. We had a very small adobe oven, and we would bake our own bread there. My mom would cook the meals, and we would get to baking. I still remember that festival of flavors we breathed in every day,” he says.
“Bread can determine whether a day is good or bad. In the morning, if you enjoy it, savor it, you’ll be in a good mood for the rest of the day,” says Óscar Gómez, Plant Manager and Head Baker at El Gallo Giro–Artimex, which operates eleven restaurants and an outlet where much of the food consumed at their locations is produced.
His love, dedication, and talent have led him to build a successful career in the world of baking and pastry.
“I worked with the best. They passed on what I needed to perfect my craft. I learned to use the best ingredients, how to combine them, and how to bake bread for the most demanding palates. I worked in bakeries frequented by very important people—artists, business people, and the like. From the beginning, I set out to master my craft. I educated myself scientifically,” he adds.
Óscar has always worked in an industry where 95% of kitchen workers are Latino.
“It’s one of the pillars of our culture. It’s in our blood. Many might be able to make a chocolate concha or other traditional bread, but the flavor is different. There’s something in us Mexicans that ties us to this art,” he says.
Later in his career in Southern California, he would proudly tell his parents about the progress he was making. But he doesn’t think they initially understood the level he had reached.
“When I told my mom, she thought I was riding around on a bike with a basket on my head. Later on, they started to realize it; they tasted what I had created,” he says.
Óscar has also nurtured a love for singing. Since a young age, he had a natural talent for it, and people who heard him encouraged him to pursue it.
“For me, singing is a great companion when I’m preparing bread. There’s a synergy between the two. At certain moments, in certain moods, I feel like singing certain songs—and that influences the bread I’m making. There’s no good baker who doesn’t sing,” he adds.
Sometimes, his wife jokingly comments, “When I hear you sing, I feel like you’ve been unfaithful,” he recalls, laughing.
For him, just as the art of singing involves creating a life through sound, mixing ingredients also creates lives. “Everything has a shape and an ending,” he says. “When I meet other bakers, the connection is immediate—we speak the same language.”
“Bread can determine whether a day is good or bad. In the morning, if you enjoy it, savor it, you’ll be in a good mood for the rest of the day,” says Óscar Gómez
After many years working in high-end bakeries, Óscar had the chance to return—what he calls—to his roots.
One day, Charles Bonaparte, CEO of the El Gallo Giro–Artimex corporation, was visiting the place where Óscar was working in downtown Los Angeles. There, Charles observed him closely and, as a savvy businessman, noticed something different in the master baker.
“He asked for a meeting and shortly afterward offered me a job. I thought about it a bit and accepted. My wife encouraged me—she said it was what I had always wanted to do. What attracted me to Charles was his passion for Mexican cuisine. He’s not only knowledgeable, but he knows every detail of how the food is prepared. His passion is so strong, even more than many Mexicans,” says Óscar.
From the start, Óscar was honest. He told Charles what didn’t need to change and what did. From his first days, his leadership was immediately noticeable.
“When I arrived, I realized it wasn’t what I had imagined—just another fast-food restaurant. I saw it was excellent food, very original. Here, I found many people who share my passion for the work.”
In his current role, he manages 95 employees of various nationalities.
“They can be Venezuelan, Salvadoran, Mexican… What matters is their artistic profile. Passion determines quality,” he says.
For him, after working in the best bakeries in Southern California, the bread they make at Artimex holds up to any other.
“We’ve improved the ingredients. The bread tastes different—people like it. Our bread has life, it shines,” he adds.
During this season of making pan de muerto, Óscar says it’s a very special time.
“We keep the tradition alive and remember those who are no longer with us. We see it and live it every day. We see how people come into the bakery and buy their bread, then go to a table or sit on the sidewalk and start eating it—with their eyes on the horizon, remembering all those memories that we, the bakers, help them relive. That’s the beauty of our work. El Gallo Giro is a cultural touchpoint. The bread and the rest of the dishes—we don’t see them just as food, but as an excuse to come together and talk,” he concludes.
