Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum visited a Redwood City panaderia, bringing attention to the city’s longstanding ties to Aguililla, Michoacán, and its Michoacán-rooted food businesses. Reports of her food praise focus on a specific dish: carnitas.
According to KTVU, Sheinbaum stopped at Panaderia Michoacan, a longtime Redwood City bakery. ABC7 News reported that her praise was for Redwood City carnitas, not a broad ranking of all Mexican food in the United States. Its account also describes the city’s connection to Aguililla, where residents began arriving in Redwood City in the 1940s.
A Relationship That Predates the Formal Agreement
The community connection has grown over generations. ABC7 reported that, around 2017, an estimated 18,000 Redwood City residents had roots in Aguililla—a figure that helps explain the strength of the city’s Michoacán ties.
How the City’s Relationship Began
According to the City of Redwood City, the relationship with Aguililla began as a Friendship City relationship in 2013 and became a Sister City relationship in 2017.
Panaderia Michoacan’s history is part of that connection. ABC7’s account says Pedro Baez began working alongside his father at the bakery when he was eight; his father, an immigrant from Aguililla, had opened the shop. Baez and his brother later expanded the operation, running the bakery and a taqueria at a second location along Middlefield Road in North Fair Oaks.
Carnitas Cooked Since Dawn
Carnitas El Rincon is another part of Redwood City’s food story. The report says the cooks begin preparing the pork at 6 a.m. and fry it slowly for about four hours before serving it.
The neighborhood’s food businesses also face pressures. The same report describes rising housing costs along Middlefield Road as a strain on Michoacán businesses, with some longtime businesses and residents pushed out over the years.
A Broader Bay Area Visit
Sheinbaum's own appearance in Redwood City followed a separate but related trip: Tatiana Clouthier, director of Mexico's Institute for Mexicans and Mexicans Abroad, visited the Bay Area over the weekend, with stops that included Redwood City, according to Peninsula 360 Press. Clouthier said the trip followed a mandate from Sheinbaum to stay in close contact with Mexican migrants living abroad, the outlet reported.
Sheinbaum’s visit put a spotlight on Redwood City’s Michoacán food traditions and the community ties behind them. Those ties are reflected not only in local businesses, but also in the city’s formal relationship with Aguililla.
