EL CENTRO—Catholics and Christians in the Imperial Valley and around the world are celebrating Dia de Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day—a holiday commemorating the day the three Wise Men gave gifts to baby Jesus.
Traditions include leaving gifts in shoes and eating a ring-shaped bread called Rosca de Reyes. A small doll representing baby Jesus is baked into the bread, and whoever finds the doll in their slice must host a party on February 2, also known as Día de la Candelaria.
Bakeries and stores around the Valley have been baking and boxing the Rosca de Reyes in anticipation of the celebration. Sweet Nothings Pastry and Coffee Shoppe in El Centro spoke to the Imperial Valley Press about the much-loved holiday tradition.
Located at 115 South 6th Street, the bakery specializes in vegan and gluten-free desserts.
“They’re sugar-free and gluten-free,” owner Elsa Lugo-Ordona said. “We have a lot of people calling in and placing their orders.”
Last year alone, her bakery sold close to 45 roscas, with even more shipped outside the Imperial Valley.
“We shipped out to the LA area, some to the San Diego area,” Lugo-Ordona said. “We shipped them to Arizona, the Foothills in Yuma.” All the roscas are sent directly to people’s homes.
Despite being sugar-free, Lugo-Ordona explained that the rosca fruit toppings are selected to keep the sugar content at a minimum. The cherries have no added sugar. “The whole rosca is about 12 to 14 inches, so they won’t have more than five grams of sugar total,” she said.
Preparation for the holiday begins months in advance. Lugo-Ordona said she and her team begin ordering inventory as early as October, noting that the baking, however, doesn’t begin until orders are placed.
“We don’t use preservatives, and we don’t like to freeze them if we don’t have to,” she stated. “We want it to be as fresh as possible.
Orders often start coming in in November, when customers are already planning for Dia de Muertos, Christmas, and Three Kings Day.
“Now that we’ve been here five years and most of our customers are return customers, they already know to place orders way in advance,” Lugo-Ordona said.
Sweet Nothings has also built a following online beyond the region, with customers travelling from San Diego County, Riverside County, and Arizona.
“We have a lot of people coming in from out of town,” she said. “They tell us, we saw you on Google, or TikTok, or Instagram.”
As demand ramps up, Lugo-Ordona credits her team for keeping operations running smoothly.
“Juanita is our lead baker, and Teresa is my other baker,” she said. “They’re amazing young people. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
Even with last-minute orders coming in, Lugo-Ordona said her priority is her customers.
“We want to keep our customers happy. And make sure that anyone who needs something sugar-free or gluten-free gets what they need,” she said.