She sold pastries after school at gas stations. At 19, she opened a bakery that now employs 40 people

Laura Molinar spent her teenage years selling homemade pastries wherever she could: at gas-station corners, outside homes and during weekends when her friends were meeting or going to parties. She had one clear ambition, to open a bakery of her own.

Neither heat nor rain stopped the work. Between the ages of 15 and 20, much of Molinar’s time went into baking, organizing orders and washing utensils. On some occasions, she stayed awake all night. She described the physical demand as “a lot of sacrifice.”

That persistence led to the opening of Pan Pan Bakery & Cafe in Texas when she was 19. Now 22, Molinar runs the business in Dalworthington Gardens and employs 40 people. A video posted on social media received nearly 20 million views, helping bring more customers to the bakery.

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open a bakery someday

Molinar, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, credits her parents, Raúl and Laura, as her main role models. Both were born in Chihuahua and faced hardship before establishing themselves in the United States. Her mother arrived when she was one, experienced poverty and food insecurity, began working at 13 and suffered domestic abuse. Her father arrived at 14 without belongings or English and later worked in restaurants while gaining unpaid experience at a radio station.

Her family continued to support the business after it opened. In the early days, her mother woke up at 4 a.m. each day to help until the bakery could hire another baker, while one of Molinar’s sisters served customers. Today, her mother and three siblings are part of the team. The bakery combines Mexican flavors with Japanese techniques Molinar encountered during a family trip, while her interest in cooking began with watching her grandmother prepare cookies and other foods.

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a lot of sacrifice