Suyapa Flores gets the apple scone for a regular customer who stops in at Firehook Bakery every day at the same time. She works at the bakery from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a smile for each customer. Photo by Shirley L Ruhe
Alexandria — "We know a lot of customers every day. We have a big smile ready and already know what they want. So we get their order going before they even get to the counter. Good morning Hosea," Suyapa Flores says as Hosea walks over to the order counter beside the window filled with small pecan pies, morning glory muffins and elephant ears. She explains Hosea always comes in around 11 a.m. and orders an apple scone or a whole-wheat bagel and an espresso.
“The customers love the coffee — it's not too strong and not too weak." She says some mornings there is a line at the front door when Firehook Bakery opens at 6:30 a.m. "They are waiting for that cup of coffee." Flores arrives at 5:30 a.m. to get the cases filled and everything set up. She says the bread is baked at the Chantilly store and about 15-20 assorted loaves — pain leavin, baguettes, Jewish rye — are delivered on Mondays and other weekdays about 4:30 a.m. with more loaves on the weekend.
A young man walks in and orders a ham, tomato and cheese sandwich and an ice coffee. "Here or to go?" He takes his sandwich to a table by the window. It is 11:15 a.m., and the orders are shifting from breakfast to lunch. The favorite sandwich is the roast chicken with avocado and for breakfast the almond croissant and spinach-feta croissant.
“My favorite thing; oh, I forgot. There are too many good things. I know. My own personal favorite is the chocolate croissant. But I only eat one a week or I'd be ..." She opens her arms wide. Flores says now is a little slower between the morning rush and the lunch crowd.
Flores points to a large table in the corner. Every morning at about 6:40 a.m. a senior couple comes in, orders two sesame toasted bagels, a decaf and regular coffee and sits at the table. A little later their friends arrive to fill up the table. "When they no come in, we miss them [and] ask what happened the next day." She said, "At about 8:30 a.m.another regular comes in, orders two lattes and two almond croissants. She delivers one to her husband waiting in the car on their way to work in D.C."
The phone rings, and Flores takes an order from an office for 24 assorted pastries and muffins and 24 coffees. She says sometimes a person will call before rush hour and order a breakfast sandwich and say they will be there in 5 minutes to pick it up.
When Flores isn't waiting on customers, she is taking orders on the phone or making soup. Flores' special favorite is chicken-barley soup. "I make it myself by starting with a fresh chicken and cooking for 1-2 hours to get the good broth. " She says her mother made chicken soup, but in her home country of Honduras it was different, with lots of vegetables. "I like it this job because I watched my mother cooking. I watched everything she did.”
Flores came to America when she was a young girl in 1988. She has been here since, working in a dietary kitchen at a nursing home and then for the Firehook Bakery in Washington D.C. She moved to their location on Washington Street in Alexandria seven years ago. A steady line of customers heads for the order counter. "A spinach-feta croissant? Would you like it warmed a little? That will be $2.75 plus tax. " And another of Flores famous smiles. A customer volunteers that this is the friendliest place in town.