Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF ROSA PORTO
______
HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy
of Rosa Porto, who passed away on December 13, 2019, at the age of 89.
She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, and lived a joyous life
filled with the love of family and friends. To the people of Southern
California, she was also the beloved founder of Porto's Bakery.
Rosa was born in Cuba, and as a young girl, the kitchen was her
favorite place to be. Her mother, who came from the Galicia region of
Spain, created many sweet treats, and the kitchen was always filled
with scents of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla.
Rosa's life took an unexpected turn when the Portos' attempt to leave
Cuba resulted in her being fired from her job, and her husband, Raul
Sr., being sent to a labor camp. In 1960, in search of a way to support
her family, Rosa turned her passion for baking into an underground
business by selling cakes to her friends and neighbors out of her
home's small kitchen. Before she knew it, she had built her business
into a thriving enterprise with a loyal customer base.
In 1971, Rosa and her family were finally able to emigrate to the
United States, and they arrived in California with little more than
Rosa's exceptional baking skills, Raul Sr.'s strong work ethic, and
their dream to build a better life in America.
Soon afterwards, Rosa began baking and selling cakes to friends and
family who had heard about the fabulous cakes she had baked in Cuba. In
just a couple of years, Rosa built a new base of devoted customers, and
it was common to see buyers lined up outside her little home to pick up
their orders.
By 1976, Rosa's home could no longer accommodate the increased
demand, and she opened Porto's Bakery, a small 300-square-foot business
on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles's Echo Park neighborhood. Raul Sr.
would help when he was not working at another local bakery, and after
several years, he was able to join Rosa as her business continued to
grow.
Rosa's three children, Beatriz, Raul Jr., and Margarita, also helped
at the bakery after school and on weekends. The children were greatly
inspired by their mother's love of preparing the delicious foods she
served, and they took on larger roles in the business after they
graduated from college.
As Porto's has grown, it has remained faithful to Rosa's motto that
``quality is the number one ingredient in everything we do.'' From its
beginning in Echo Park, Porto's grew to a 2,000-square-foot facility in
Glendale, and then one twice the size a few years later. In the 1990s,
with the effort of the entire Porto family, their business expanded to
a 20,000-square-foot facility, and later added a cafe.
While Porto's began as a bakery that only sold cakes and Cuban
pastries, its menu has evolved and expanded to feature a broad array of
international sweet and savory items, including such signature items as
Cheese Rolls, Refugiados (guava and cheese strudels), and the famous
Potato Balls.
Today, Porto's serves thousands of customers and employs hundreds of
team members at five Southern California locations, including Downey in
my 40th District, as well as in Glendale, Burbank, Buena Park, and West
Covina.
Rosa Porto will be missed by Angelenos of all ages and from all walks
of life, but we know her gracious and gentle spirit will live on, both
in the family she loved and in the culinary legacy she leaves behind.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in sending our deepest
condolences to Rosa's family, including her husband Raul Sr.; their
daughters Beatriz and Margarita; their son Raul Jr.; and their seven
grandchildren.
____________________
