THREE GENERATIONS: Bakery owners make sure it's special

Every Wednesday, the 79-year-old man inspects the San Juan bakery he founded more than four decades ago.

He checks the lines of morenitos on the far right side of the glass bakery case. He makes sure the pig-shaped treats, fluffy and baked with two types of molasses, are in the right place. He also looks over the 11 different types of Mexican cookies. Some have sprinkles and others are frosted. And he glances over the 15 different types of bread, most of which are sweet and topped by coconut or crumbled sugar.

If the man likes what he sees, he gives his approval. If he doesn't, he tells his son to change it. Stricken by diabetes and with both legs amputated, Cristobal Rodriguez Sr. can no longer run the bakery, but he can make sure his son does it right.

Rodriguez Sr. founded La Especial Bakery in 1966, a tiny storefront off the beaten path in San Juan. The shop is still at 114 W. Third St. on a pot hole-riddled drive west of North Nebraska Avenue, one of the city's main drags. The bakery is right around the corner from Garza's Café, another multi-decade San Juan fixture. La Especial Bakery has a history and tradition as rich as the treats inside.

Rodriguez Sr. grew up in a small Mexican city near Tampico. He came to the United States as a teen. He married, fathered four sons and began to work in local bakeries. He made bread in cities ranging from San Juan to Mercedes.

He soon learned the craft, got a loan, opened his own store and was immediately successful.

Now 53, Cristobal Jr. practically grew up in the bakery. He worked the counter, because his brothers preferred staying in the back, baking and leaving early. Rodriguez Jr. was easy going, and he wanted to make his family happy.

"I didn't complain in those days," he says. "It's not like now. When your father told you to do something, you did it."

When Cristobal Rodriguez Sr. became sick in 1995, the family met to settle the bakery's fate. No one wanted to run it, but they agreed someone had to. They looked to Junior again.

Today, the tradition is palpable in the bakery's air. The original oven sits behind the shop. The machines used to mix dough date to the 1960s. Customers can buy five baked goods for $1. The same families still shop there, with younger generations replacing their parents. The bakers still make everything from scratch.

And from the 6 a.m. opening to the 6 p.m. closing, a steady stream of business runs through La Especial Bakery. Cristobal Rodriguez Sr., the founder, still lives in a one-story blue house behind the place. Just as he always has, demanding the same products, placement and quality.

That's a big part of what makes this bakery so especial.

Zack Quaintance covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.