Louisville just got a little tastier thanks to Pastelitos by Annia. For those who do not know what pastelitos are, they are a delicious Cuban puff pastry that can put a smile even on the grumpiest face. Annia Garces, a local baker originally from Cuba, has taken the traditional Cuban pastry and put her own spin on them by not just offering the conventional fillings such as guava (guayaba) guava with cheese (guayaba con queso) and coconut (coco) but also adding her own unique flair by making Nutella and dulce de leche (caramel) pastelitos as well.
I saw that Annia had posted some photos on her social media of her pastelitos for sale, so I reached out to her and told her I was interested in trying some, especially the guava with cheese because those are my favorite. Annia invited me to her home to try her pastelitos fresh out of the oven.
Once I arrived at her home, we began to discuss what made her start selling the classic Cuban pastry. Annia explained that ever since she was young, she always wanted to be a baker and have her own bakery. It isn’t weird that being a baker was a dream for her because each generation in her family has at least one baker. She has a great aunt in Cuba who was a baker and an aunt in California who owns her own bakery, so the baking talent is in her genes. She also says that she remembers that when she was around 15 years old, she met a lawyer who not only practiced law but also owned her own bakery, and she thought, “I want to be like her someday.”
Flash forward to 2019, Annia was working in a law firm, but something was still missing. She said that one day she decided to go ahead and bake some traditional Cuban pastries and see what people thought of them. One of the first things she made were pastelitos, and when she decided to make them, she chose a recipe that uses butter instead of lard like most pastelito recipes. She says that the fact that she uses butter is one major thing that sets her pastelitos apart from the rest.
After having friends and family try her pastelitos and confirm that Annia was on to something, she decided it was time to put them out into the world or at least Louisville for that matter. She began announcing that she was making pastelitos via Facebook and giving people notice before when she would be taking orders or how they could place orders. She was surprised at the amount of response that she got because seeing how not everyone in the Louisville community knows what a pastelito is, there was still a lot of interest in trying them. By the time she was finished discussing how many great reviews she has received from people about the taste of the pastelitos, I was ready to get my hands on one.
First, let me say that I am a huge pastelito fan, and I have been since I was a kid, so when I saw Annia post her pastelitos for the first time, I knew I had to get my hands on one. Seeing how I’m a bit of a pastelito connoisseur, my favorite flavor has always been the guava and cheese. I know most people may have a question mark pop up in their head when they read guava with cheese, but trust me, this combination is absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. I told Annia that I specifically wanted to try the guava and cheese first because those are my favorites, and it would give me some indication of whether I would like the others or not.
One of the first things that I noticed about Annia’s pastelitos is that some of the pastelito fillings overflow on the top of the pastelito, which isn’t typical for the pastry puff but trust me, I’m wasn’t complaining. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but there is nothing worse than biting into a pastry and just tasting the dough and no filling. It’s one of my least favorite things about pastry puffs because they tend not to have enough filling for my liking. Just by looking at the pastelitos that Annia placed in front of me, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed.
All it took was one bite to confirm my suspicions. The flavor of the guava and the taste of the dough were on point. The pastelito isn’t too sweet nor too savory. It’s truly the perfect combination of both. The flakiness was precisely the way it should be (in my opinion), and the fact that I didn’t have to take two bites to get the full flavor taste was beyond my initial expectations. Honestly, it was love at first bite.
After inhaling my first pastelito, because let’s be honest, I don’t play games when it comes to food. I asked Annia which pastelito flavor is her most popular/bestseller, and she said surprisingly it is the dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is the Latino version of caramel. It isn’t quite caramel, but it is incredibly close. Dulce de leche is extremely popular throughout Latin America, especially in South America. For example, if you go to Argentina and don’t try dulce de leche then you haven’t truly lived an Argentine experience because that is how popular it is. I’m very familiar with dulce de leche, and to be honest, sometimes it’s even too sweet for me, so I was a little skeptical about trying it. Still, once I put my skepticism to the side and bit into the dulce de leche, I was officially sold.
Annia’s flavor palette for her pastelitos is perfect for people who crave something sweet but do not want to have a toothache after they eat. A friend of mine accompanied me to Annia’s house, and he is not a fan of any sweets, he refuses to eat chocolate when someone tries to give him a piece. He tried the coconut flavor and said that he liked it because it wasn’t extremely sweet and overpowering. We both agreed that Annia’s pastelitos hit the spot, but don’t make you feel like you are on a sugar high afterward.
It is safe to say that I was highly impressed by Annia’s pastelitos that, in fact, I even took two boxes home with me to save some for later and give to some of my friends to have a taste. The feedback that I got from everyone who tried them is that they loved them, and when I told them that they only cost $1 a piece, they were shocked. That’s right; 1 pastelito costs $1. So if you are looking to take a treat to one of your upcoming holiday parties or think that your office needs a pick me up, you can get a dozen delicious pastelitos for $12. They are great alongside a fresh cup of coffee or just as a mid-day snack or dessert for your events.
In order to get your hands on some delicious Pastelitos by Annia, you must order either through her Facebook page, which I have linked at the end, via email, garces.annia@gmail.com and you can call or text her orders by phone at 502-744-1528. Annia allows customers to mix up the different flavors that they want to buy, and you can order any amount that you choose. She also works with people who have specific food allergies as long as they let her know when ordering. The only thing that Annia said that she cannot accommodate is for people who are following specific diet trends and want a ‘healthier’ version because let’s be honest, in these pastelitos, butter is queen.
Besides pastelitos, Annia has also created cakes, pies, and other pastries for customers. If you aren’t interested in pastelitos but want to try one of her many delicious pastries, then feel free to contact her directly and let her know what you are looking for. Annia is currently dedicating herself solely to her baking business and is no longer with the law firm that she previously worked for. She has decided to take a leap of faith and pursue what most of us consider the American dream, which is to become successful. There is no doubt in my mind that the pastelitos, cakes, and pies are just the beginning of what will be a very successful local Louisville baker.
The Nutella flavored pastelitos. 
The coconut and guava and cheese flavors. 
Taking my first bite. It was glorious. 
