SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio pastry chef was badly hurt in a car crash and is recovering from the wreck that happened Monday. She is the "main ingredient" to the business operation Sweet Baker.
Now that she is temporarily out, her business partner and friend Angel Encarnacion is fighting to keep the dream and livelihood open.
"We have been through a lot with the business," he said. "This is a dream you know. At the end we live for this."
There are three locations of Sweet Baker in San Antonio, including the one in southtown located at 701 South Presa.
Stephanie Padilla bakes all the treats and sweets. She is practically the main pastry chef. On Monday, she said she was in a crash off I-35. Padilla said she tried to use her brakes after cars suddenly stopped on the highway. However, she said she ended up hitting the back of a van.
Encarnacion rushed to the scene.
"It is not just the business," he said. "She is my friend. She is everything. When I see that it was really bad, all the blood."
They said her car is a total loss. They said she has a broken nose, and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks.
"We have a really good friendship," he said. "And when you see somebody suffering that way. It is really bad."
Right now, Encarnacion is left doing it all. He's still whipping up its unique Puerto Rican pastries and is also fulfilling its orders to other coffee shops.
"Right now, I am just asking for a little bit of help," he said.
The small business owner said this shop has been their dream as the two graduated from the Culinary Institute of America
"I can't close," he said. "We live for this."
In the meantime, another business: J's Sweet Cupcakery is stepping up to help bake the cake orders it had this weekend.
If you would like to support, click here for information on the business and click here to donate to the GoFundMe made for Padilla.