By Quinn Smalley
In November 2024, Tucson was dealt a bittersweet blow to its sweet-tooth. Cal’s Bakeshop announced on Instagram that it would be closing its cottage bakeshop in early 2025. At first, it seemed as though Caleb “Cal” Orellana, the owner of Cal’s Bakeshop, was bidding Tucson a permanent goodbye. But the caption for the post was later edited to tease a brick-and-mortar location opening.
Oct. 11 and 12, 2025, served as the grand opening weekend for Cal’s Bakeshop, a mostly vegan bakery that originally operated out of Orellana’s kitchen during the pandemic. Now located inside the building that Rocco’s Little Chicago called home for 25 years, the bakeshop is back and just as delicious as ever. Scores of Tucsonans queued up in a line that wrapped around the building for another chance to taste Cal’s confections.
I visited Cal’s Bakeshop with my friend Sebastian on Sunday, Oct. 12, to experience Cal’s baked goods for ourselves. While sitting in line, I heard other people mention that the line had wrapped around the building and that the shop had sold out of pastries the previous day. At 8:30 a.m., there were only a handful of people ahead of the 9 a.m. opening. As the time drew closer to nine, more people began to arrive, and by the time the front doors opened, the line had stretched far into the parking lot and wrapped around the building. Just before opening, Cal came out to address the crowd and thank everyone for their support over the weekend.
The menu at Cal’s Bakeshop. Photo by Quinn Smalley.
The excitement from patrons and staff filled the air as the doors opened. Sebastian and I were among the first handful of customers to enter the newly remodeled building. The first thing that greets you is a full dessert case, seasonally decorated with cute ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns and spider webs. All of Cal’s colorful confections were on full display, so neatly organized you’d think they belonged on the cover of Tucson Lifestyle.
The pastry display at Cal’s Bakeshop. Photo by Quinn Smalley.
I ordered four pastries and a drink: a berry lemon brioche, a pumpkin cheesecake brioche, an Oreo Cronut (a pastry made of croissant dough that’s fried like a doughnut), a concha fresca con crema, and a Salvi horchata latte — all of them delicious in their own distinct ways. Both the berry lemon brioche and the pumpkin cheesecake brioche are made with the same light and fluffy bread topped with a dusting of sugar. The pumpkin cheesecake filling was my favorite of the two. The pumpkin flavor was present but not overpoweringly sweet, as many pumpkin desserts tend to be. The berry lemon filling leaned heavier on the berry flavor and lighter on the lemon, which was welcome because the berries tasted fresh from the orchard. Again, it wasn’t too sweet, so you could enjoy the flavor without feeling like you needed a gallon of water to wash down the sugar.
That theme continued with the other two desserts and the drink. Both the Oreo Cronut and the concha fresca con crema looked like very sweet treats, but when I took a bite of each, I was happy to find I didn’t need to chug any water afterward. The Oreo Cronut had the expected flaky layers in the middle, topped with decadent frosting, drizzle and crumbled Oreos. The flavor was great, though the Oreo wasn’t as pronounced as I expected — it mostly tasted like a frosted Cronut with a hint of Oreo.
Cal’s Bakery’s iced Salvi horchata latte. Photo by Quinn Smalley.
My favorites were the concha fresca con crema and the Salvi horchata latte — both paired perfectly together. The concha, a striking red and fluffy pastry with a light sweetness, was split in half horizontally to sandwich the fresca (strawberries) and crema, making it one of the sweeter treats I tried at Cal’s. The strawberries were fresh and added a pop of tartness to the sweet crema, balancing the flavors beautifully. Along with a sip of the Salvi horchata latte — which looked and tasted somewhat like a macchiato — it was a flavor combination likely to start anyone’s day off right.
My favorites were the concha fresca con crema and the Salvi horchata latte — both paired perfectly together. The concha, a striking red and fluffy pastry with a light sweetness, was split in half horizontally to sandwich the fresca (strawberries) and crema, making it one of the sweeter treats I tried at Cal’s. The strawberries were fresh and added a pop of tartness to the sweet crema, balancing the flavors beautifully. Along with a sip of the Salvi horchata latte — which looked and tasted somewhat like a macchiato — it was a flavor combination likely to start anyone’s day off right.
Cal’s delicious pastries. Photo by Quinn Smalley.
Cal’s Bakeshop has filled the hole it left when it closed earlier this year. Its vegan confections were clearly missed by the community, given the turnout for both grand opening days. Though I’m not vegan, I can say I was in dire need of another good bakery in town.