Co-owner Ricardo Cervantes, center, helps out Elaine Nichols, left, at La Monarca Bakery in Santa Monica on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. La Monarca Bakery is a traditional Mexican bakery that offers customers with a wide array of French fusion and Mexican sweet breads, artisan breads, pastries, and cakes. Everything is made from scratch,” Co-owner Ricardo Cervantes says. “There are no preservatives, no chemicals, and everything is never a day old,” he adds. Cervantes co-owns the bakery with Alfredo Livas with three locations including Santa Monica, Huntington Park and east L.A. (Cheryl A. Guerrero/Staff Photographer)
