Founded during the pandemic by baker and owner Alejandro Gomez, Mi Pan began as a hobby after Gomez was laid off and started experimenting with sourdough at home. What began with a few loaves for family and friends quickly evolved into a full-scale bread program that now sells out weekly at farmers markets in Pacific Beach, Little Italy, and Chula Vista. Gomez, entirely self-taught, has spent the past five years refining his craft while traveling to baking hubs in France, Spain, Mexico City, and across the U.S. to both take and teach classes.
As demand grew, production expanded to the limits of the family’s garage, where Gomez often baked ten to twelve hours a day. Seeking a space large enough for a commercial kitchen, retail counter, and instructional area for workshops and baking masterclasses, Gomez and his wife and business partner Alejandra Ruelas spent more than a year searching before selecting the former Grab & Go Subs site in Mission Gorge. The bakery’s first brick-and-mortar will serve as Mi Pan’s production headquarters, on-site shop, and a community education space where Gomez plans to host hands-on classes.
The opening will allow Mi Pan to broaden its menu, though Gomez says the emphasis will remain on the items that built the bakery’s reputation. The bakery’s hallmark sourdough loaves, seasonal breads, and pastries - including the bakery’s standout medialunas, a lightly glazed Argentinian pastry blending elements of croissant and brioche - will anchor the offerings. The team will add sandwiches made with their own breads, as well as high-quality coffee, with most items designed for grab-and-go service and limited seating on site.
Mi Pan will continue operating at its three farmers markets and hopes to add another location once production capacity increases. Gomez also plans to launch a wholesale program after years of fielding requests from local businesses, something he could never support from his home kitchen. Long term, the team envisions additional locations, possibly starting with a second shop in North County.
Despite the rapid momentum, Gomez emphasizes that Mi Pan’s evolution is rooted in the same values that defined its earliest days. The new Mission Gorge bakery is intended to function as a warm, everyday community hub inspired by the neighborhood cafés of his native Mexico and those he encountered while baking abroad. The goal is a dependable, enduring bakery, not a trend-driven concept, with craftsmanship and hospitality at the center of every loaf.
Mi Pan Bakery will open at 6435 Mission Gorge Road in San Diego's Grantville are in mid-2026. For more information, visit mipanbakery.com.
Originally published on December 8, 2025. Information first reported by Joey Reams of WhatNow.