Immigrant family opens new bakery in east Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A family-owned bakery 20 years in the making recently opened in east Charlotte.

Along Central Avenue near Sharon Amity Road is Panaderia Odalys. The owners are expecting a busy Valentine’s Day morning.

Store owner Agustine Cervantes came to the states over 30 years ago. It took him four attempts before crossing the United States border from Mexico.

When he first arrived in the states, Cervantes did not speak or read English. However, he held lots of temporary jobs, including working at a bakery.

During his time at a local shop in Texas, he ran into a man that would change his life. The man would give Cervantes recipes and teach him how to make traditional Mexican-baked goods. He would use these recipes to later start a business.

The Cervantes family has been in the Charlotte area for 22 years. Cervantes has rented out locations in shopping centers and sold his goods. However, this has not been without issues.

Cervantes and his family would face hardships, like their house burning down during the recession and having trouble securing funding from banks for their business.

Despite it all, they were still able to open their new store location on 4908 Central Ave. Odalys is open seven days a week.

Cervantes says none of this would be possible without the support of the community and his customers.

The bakery’s owners make everything from scratch, paying homage to their culture. They are hoping to give everyone a chance to get a taste of their homeland.

Cervantes said he is living his dreams and hopes these recipes will be around for generations to come.

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