It’s the Thursday before Día de los Muertos, and shoppers are lining up at the Norte 54 booth at Mission Community Market. They wait patiently to purchase treats like calaveras de piloncillo, skull cookies glazed with Mexican raw sugar, along with pan de muerto, light sugary buns decorated with bone-shaped nobs and scented with orange blossom water. 

A Mexican bakery with a modern twist, Norte 54 is a fledgling pastry business created by former Nopa baker Raquel Goldman out of the uncertainty of the pandemic, and coming from a deeply personal place.

On this special holiday, her handcrafted pan dulce will be enjoyed by the living in a tradition of remembrance, and offered to loved ones who have passed. “Once Day of the Dead is over, they’re gone,” says Raquel of the seasonal sweet breads. “They are special for now. I want to honor that idea.”