Hidden Gems: Meet Martin and Damaris Gonzalez of Miracle Bakery

My wife Damaris and I always talked about opening a coffee shop in a small space where we can offer a few baked goods since that was Damaris’ specialty. I was a bar-tender at a local restaurant while Damaris attended patisserie school and Miracle Bakery was just an idea at that time. In November of 2009, we realized our family was going from two to three and it was time to take our idea to the next level. We started preparing cakes and flans to offer my coworkers with the idea that they might order a cake for a birthday party or special event. One of the days we took a full flan for everyone to try and my boss took a slice and liked it so much he started asking questions. He wanted to know where we had gotten the flan so he could order a few items to add to the restaurant dessert menu. We were so excited to have the opportunity and had a great partnership for over a year before the boss suggested that we open up our own bakery. By this time our son was about two years old and we were both working full time with alternate schedules to avoid child care costs. Although opening a bakery would have been a great next step, we didn’t have any money and it was just between the two of us to make the bakery a reality.

After lots of encouragement, we started looking for a small retail space to set up shop and soon realized even a tiny storefront was outside of our budget. Since we both worked in the service industry most months we were hand to mouth and we didn’t qualify for help to get started. We decided that if we were going to open the doors of our own bakery we would have to find an alternate route. Turning this dream into a reality was going to take a miracle.

We spent about five years looking for a location while saving every penny when we got so frustrated and wanted to give up on our dream. We started to shift our focus to buying a house instead of spending on the business venture. After a few weeks of looking for a house we heard back from an inquiry for a location in Burbank. Somehow everything fell right into place for us to have our very own bakery and we knew there was only one name that would fit our lives, story and company; Miracle Bakery. And now, when you drive down San Fernando Blvd on the corner of Andover Drive in Burbank you’ll find Coffee, Pasteries and fresh food served everyday starting at 8am.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Well, the most immediate challenges were having little to no money to get things started. The money problem turned into an issue of staffing because we couldn’t offer much pay but still held ourselves to a high standard of quality. Thankfully, a few family members including Damaris’ brother helped fill out our staff foregoing payment for the first two months of opening. I quickly went from mixing cocktails to pouring lattes while Damaris and her parents kept the dough rolling in the kitchen. Once we were able to hire a full staff we shifted our focus to the community of Burbank. The business that was in the building before Miracle was also a bakery but had a very different menu. Just as we had done so many times before, we rolled up our sleeves to get to know the community and how to best serve them.

When it was time to renew the business license the attendant asked if we would like to include food with the baking. We took that opportunity hoping it would call more attention to the budding new bakery. We started by offering burritos and quickly noticed that a full menu was the key to Burbak’s heart. To answer your question; no, it has not been a smooth road and I’m sure there will be other bumps along the way. But after all we’ve been through so far, including unforeseen events like the Covid Pandemic, we’ll just keep baking.

You should know that Miracle Bakery is so much more than your average bakery. When someone visits our bakery, they are visiting our home and can expect a warm welcome from the Miracle Bakery family. Our menu includes espresso drinks and specialty teas, a variety of baked goods freshly made every day and a diverse offering of traditional Mexican and American food items. We also offer full size cakes made to order and catering for special events. You can find us at 1529 N. San Fernando Blvd in Burbank, CA serving from 8am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday and 8am-3pm on Sunday and Monday.

Luck has played an integral role in our lives both personally and in business, but as you probably guessed we call our lucky moments miracles. As a family we have two miracles ages 12 and one and we miraculously have kept in very good health. In business, we experience miracles everyday. From enjoying each other’s company while working to reading a good review on a new menu item. We are so grateful to our regulars who are both miracles and miracle workers who help spread the word about Miracle Bakery. We are beyond blessed.