David’s lifetime of love for baking brings new business to Jasper
A few months ago, David Torin was sitting in the middle of the store that would become his bakery in Jasper, looking at the emptiness with a vision and faith.
He had $7 in his pocket, years of baking experience under his belt and a hope that when he opened the doors to David Bakery, customers would love his bread as much as he loved making it.
It was an overwhelming moment that had come to fruition three years after moving to Dubois County.
He remembers when he arrived here.
“Within three days, I was driving around town getting to know Jasper… and I realized there weren’t any bakeries,” he said through a translator. “I had come looking for work — specifically bakery work, so I could work in that field — but since I didn’t see any, I thought to myself: maybe in this town…I would be [the one to open] a bakery.”
He got a job and worked, but the dream to open his bakery remained. As he spoke to other people about it, they were encouraging. That encouragement helped when he finally made the transition from working for a local factory to going out on his own.
Now, more than a month after opening, David is overwhelmed by the support he’s received from the community. Through a steady stream of social media posts on Facebook, David and his wife, Caroline, have introduced the community to their bread, pastries and sandwiches with the help of most of David’s family.
That love began in Venezuela when he was 10 years old. He would help his mom make special pastries called bombas (yes, bomb) to sell for a local festival. He enjoyed it, and as he learned more about baking, he would bake for the family.
Over the years, David continued to bake.
“It is what I do best,” he said.
This month has affirmed what he’s always believed: he was made to be a baker, or a chef panedero.
Visitors to the store have options ranging from fresh French bread for home to croissants stuffed with meats and cheeses for a quick meal. There is an array of Venezuelan-style baked goods, including stuffed breads filled with pineapple, guava or strawberries, cachitos (ham croissants) with combinations like ham and cream cheese, and hojaldre puff pastries filled with apple, arequipe or pastry cream. The menu also includes empanadas stuffed with meat, chicken, ham and cheese.
David and Caroline’s niece Mia, who provided translation help for this story, could hardly get through describing the menu without pointing out her favorites, which included the ham croissants and special cheese-filled bread.
David wants anyone coming in to understand his bread is influenced by all the cultures he’s experienced. “Someone from France would like my bread if they came here,” he said through his translator.
All of the bread is a reflection of the years of experience and knowledge that this is what he was meant to do.
He and Caroline spend every day at the bakery. His sister Deivimar also helps. Since opening, they have loved meeting so many different people and making new friends while sharing his baked artistry. He’s surprised by the number of people who have visited.
David Bakery is located at 714 W 6th Street in Jasper (at the Y), and hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, they are closed. You can follow them on Facebook here and contact them by phone at 812-631-5237.
