(WOODLAND PARK, Colo.) — For one family in Woodland Park, the first week of January brings a special tradition into the kitchen, one that comes with love and honors Three Kings’ Day. As they gather in the kitchen to make Rosca de Reyes, everyone knows their role in making this special sweet bread.
“This is the Rosca, you can see we have some fruit in guava fruit, cherries, prunes,” said one family member, Sebastian Romero. “The meaning is this is the crown that the king’s wants to give to Jesus Christ.”
The Rosca is formed in a circular shape by Guillermo Ramirez, who is the head chef in the kitchen and has been making this dish for more than thirty years. Now, the whole family comes together to make this special tradition taste so good.
Father and son work together in placing the final products on the cooling rack.
“We made everything from scratch, like the Rosca, the boxes, also prints,” Sebastian Romero said. [Pointing to Adriana] “She designed all the stuff like logo, the history, the little card for little Jesus.”
Adriana Gutierrez creates each box to put the finished product in. After it is placed, she ties it together and puts a ‘handmade with love’ sticker on the top.
Rosca de Reyes were cooking away in the oven on Friday for the many orders placed throughout Southern Colorado.
There is a surprise to this sweet treat, with a hidden small figurine of the baby Jesus placed inside for one person to receive.
“The most important thing about this dish is because we as Hispanics, we always like to stay in family,” Sebastian Romero said. “Rosca, we just share with family in this day because we want to know who is the next one to host the Dia de la Candelaria in the second of February to eat some tamales with.”
Courtesy:
Maggy Wolanske,
FOX21 News Reporter
Courtesy:
Maggy Wolanske,
FOX21 News Reporter
When Sebastian was 16 years old, his slice included the figurine of baby Jesus, meaning he had to cook the tamales, but he got lucky as he said his mother helped him cook.
This marks the first year the family is cooking the special treat in Woodland Park and are sharing their gift throughout Southern Colorado. If you are interested in placing an order you can contact Guillermo over the phone by texting (720-713-9952).
On Friday morning, each family member played a role in making multiple orders of this special sweet bread.
As the dough swirls in the machine, and figurines find their place in each box, it is clear these preparations are indelible memories cherished in these family member’s hearts.
“That’s the favorite part about family because you can share it with [each other],” Sebastian Romero shared. “Also, if you are working with family, you can just laugh, you can get mad sometimes, you can just ring a Rosca, but that’s the part about family, it’s like an analogy about family because you have good time, you have bad time, but always you have family.”
