A concha is a traditional Mexican pan dulce, meaning sweet bread. It's a lightly sweetened bun, flavored with vanilla and anise, and it's topped with a crunchy sugar-cookie-topping. That's what the different flavors are; they're the toppings. The concha gets its name from the conch shell, and you can see the shell pattern that comes from the traditional stamp we use. Our conchas are Mauricio's family recipe from Oaxaca, Mexico.
A concha is best eaten on the day it's baked. The difficulty in storing them is that you want the bun to stay moist but the topping to stay dry. If you store a concha in such a way that the bun stays moist, such as in a plastic bag or air-tight container, the topping will get soft. This isn't the worst thing, but it's not the concha's true form. If you're looking for something that will keep for more than a day, we usually recommend our cookies or snacking cakes instead.
As much as we hate to limit the number of conchas folks can buy, we've had some experiences where the first person in line buys us out, and the looks of disappointment on the faces of the customers behind them just kills us. So we've had to impose a maximum to keep things fair. Our current policy is a max of five conchas per person, ten per group. If you would like a greater number of conchas, feel free to ask us about placing a special order.
Yes, we do, although cash is a bit cheaper because it saves you the fees. But we absolutely take cards and tap-to-pay. We do not accept Venmo or any other payment service apps at this time.
Maybe one day! But for now, we're very happy (and plenty busy) just selling at farmers markets across Vermont. We love participating in farmers markets because they exemplify so many of our values, such as supporting local farmers and producers and building a resilient community. While we had an amazing experience with our brick & mortar in NYC, it's time for us to embrace a healthier work/life balance. Healthy bakers make the best conchas!