For almost two decades, Amando Salas, co-owner of Chris Bakery on Brainerd Road, worked in the restaurant industry as a manager at the Boathouse, but when the pandemic hit, his ability to support his family was diminished. Looking for an opportunity, he reached out to a cousin in Kentucky to learn how to bake bread and traveled there to learn the craft.
He then spent about a year practicing.
“Before we opened, my dad was selling his bread to friends and neighbors and going door to door,” said Daniel Salas.
Apparently, the lessons took and today Amando and his family – wife, Mariola, sons Chris and Daniel and daughter Ariana- own Chris Bakery in Chattanooga. The shop is located in the space once occupied by Pizza Hut at the corner of Brainerd Road and Belvoir Avenue. The store is named after Chris.
The bakery features traditional Latino bakery favorites such as rolls, doughnuts, empandas, gallinas, galletas de boda, bolillos and conchas, the seashell-shaped favorite made with cookie dough and cinnamon bread. They are made with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavoring.