Chef Adalberto Diaz Labrada baked his first cake at age 9 using a pressure cooker. And he’s been baking ever since.
His passion for baking sweet treats led him to open up Fillings & Emulsions in Salt Lake City — an “eclectic Latin bakery with a French flair.”
“I just love sugar,” he said.
He also loves giving people a reason to smile by handing them a warm and crisp sourdough baguette to enjoy or by sharing his award-winning colorful macarons with a customer.
One of his favorite things is to share something he made “with somebody and see the reaction. Right? Like, giving somebody something to try and then say, like, ‘this is so good, right?’” he said. “It’s a great feeling.”
And his skills as a baker is getting attention. He was recently nominated as a semifinalist for a James Beard award for outstanding pastry chef or baker. In humble fashion, he made sure to mention his team when asked how he feels about the nomination.
“I told my team and said, ‘hey, look, this is huge, and you know, this is because of everybody, it is not just because of me,’” he said.
Who inspired his baking
Diaz credits first learning how to bake to his two grandmothers. One grandma was into meringues, inspiring his passion for making macarons. The other grandma taught him the value of custards and pies.
“So I got two sides of the coins from my two grandmas,” he said.
Diaz emigrated from Cuba to Utah 25 years ago and learned from chefs at Utah Valley University and Granato’s before opening his own place 13 years later.
He spent a few years teaching a class at UVU and continues to enjoy teaching how to make some of the best pastries around.
“I have two ways of educating people about what I do, right?” Diaz said. “To show them what the amount of work it requires to produce the things we produce, right? And then the other side is to share a knowledge of an art that might go away someday.”
He’s also tested and demonstrated his baking skills in multiple baking competition shows, including “Best Baker in America,” “Holiday Baking Championship” and “Sugar Showdown.”
“Going on the shows created a lot of visibility and also allowed me to meet a bunch of other people in the industry that are also very talented and I still have friendships with them now,” Diaz said.
Fillings & Emulsions at a new location
He recently consolidated his business into one central location that is located within a type of food hall along with other creative chefs providing the community unique and tasty foods on 1391 S. 300 West.
The new location features mural art from his brother, Angel Diaz Labrada — art that takes inspiration from the architecture and colors of their native Cuba.
“So it’s it’s a way another Cuban has made this more special,” Diaz said, after proudly pointing out the bright and beautiful murals the cover the walls of the new bakery.
“I wanted to share my culture and inspiration from my country of Cuba with the community,” Angel said, with the help of a translator.
Angel is one year older than Diaz but said that in some ways he considers his brother to be a father figure and example to him.
“He’s honest, he’s humble and he’s brave,” Angel said, with the help of a translator. “Every time he decides to do something, and he won’t rest until he’s got it.”
Diaz said he’s grateful for the opportunities he’s been given and hopes that others will receive similar chances to succeed.
“I am part of this community and this community has welcomed me to be part of it, and even bigger, this country welcomed me when I came here, and gave me an opportunity. to be more where I am today,” Diaz said. “And I wish that that opportunity was given to more people because you don’t know how they would change the world.”
