Meet the Baker

About Me

My name is Raquel, and I’m the proud owner and founder of Bachata Bakery — a home-based baking business where I blend Caribbean flavors, artistic design, and my own story of healing and resilience.

I was born in the Bronx to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents, raised in a community rich with culture, family bonds, and vibrant food traditions. From a young age, I was surrounded by the warmth of Dominican life, where every gathering meant laughter, music, and always a Dominican cake at the center of it all. That cake, with its airy texture and tropical flavors like pineapple or dulce de leche, became a symbol of comfort, safety, and love.

A Creative Beginning

I’ve always been a creative soul. As a child, I loved tap dancing and drawing. In middle school, my art portfolio earned me acceptance into several top New York City high schools for the arts. But as the only daughter in a traditional immigrant household, my parents worried about my safety commuting to Manhattan. Instead, I attended my neighborhood school — one with few resources and no space for artistic growth. I still remember a family friend telling me, “Art won’t get you anywhere unless you want to be painting portraits on the sidewalk in Times Square.” That comment stuck. I quietly put my creativity aside, believing there was no place for it in the “real world.”

Lessons in Resilience

Even then, I was determined to succeed. I joined a business and finance program in high school, where I learned accounting and entrepreneurship — skills I now use to run my bakery. I later earned a degree in Sociology with a minor in Education, drawn to people, systems, and supporting children.

But life threw challenges my way. While I was in college, my father was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer, and I became his primary caregiver. Around the same time, my mother battled postpartum depression after giving birth to my youngest brother. At just 18 myself, I stepped in as his caregiver while juggling school and family responsibilities. Those years taught me how to advocate, nurture, and carry others through hard seasons — lessons that shape me as a mother, a woman, and a business owner today.

Finding My Way Back to Art

I married, became a mother of two, and poured myself into raising my children with intention and love. Together, we cooked, baked, and explored our Bronx neighborhood. Along the way, I rediscovered my creativity — starting a YouTube makeup channel, freelancing as a makeup artist, and realizing that I still had “the hand” for detail, balance, and design.

Then the pandemic changed everything.

In 2020, I was among the first in New York City to contract COVID-19. Bedridden for more than a year, I lost strength, mobility, and hope. Our family went from two incomes to one and eventually relocated to Delaware for affordability and recovery. But the transition wasn’t easy — no Latin bakeries, no guava or Dominican cake, no sense of cultural comfort. I deeply missed the flavors that once grounded me.

The Birth of Bachata Bakery

That’s when I started baking again — first for my children, then for friends, and eventually for small orders. I tested fillings, decorated cookies, and discovered that cookies could be my canvases. With nothing but passion and a piping bag, Bachata Bakery was born.

Here, I specialize in custom sugar cookies and Dominican-style cakes infused with Latin Caribbean flavors like pineapple, guava, passionfruit, dulce de leche, and coconut. Every order is a piece of my story — desserts that celebrate culture, honor tradition, and bring people together. From any special occasion, my cookies and cakes are more than just sweet treats; they’re edible joy, wrapped in color, memory, and connection.

Why “Bachata”?

The name “Bachata” is a tribute to my roots. Bachata is more than music — it’s a feeling, a rhythm that lives in every Dominican heart. It’s the soundtrack of our celebrations, our childhoods, and our kitchens. We dance bachata at family gatherings, and it plays in the background while we cook, clean, laugh, and simply live. In the Dominican Republic, bachata is everywhere. It’s joyful, soulful, and deeply ours.

I chose the name Bachata Bakery because it represents everything I want this business to be: vibrant, culturally rich, full of heart and movement. Just like the music, my treats tell stories. They connect people. They bring flavor and rhythm into the everyday. I want people to taste the culture — not just see it — so that every cookie or cake feels like a sweet little celebration.

At Bachata Bakery, I specialize in custom sugar cookies and Dominican-style cakes infused with Latin Caribbean flavors like pineapple, guava, and dulce de leche. Each treat is hand-designed with precision and artistry — a blend of my cultural roots and my lifelong creative talent. My cookies celebrate every special moment worth remembering.

They’re not just desserts — they’re edible joy, wrapped in color, culture, and connection.