Follow me through my journey of finding a delicious new spot to curve a sweet tooth outside of Purdue’s campus
As I was thinking of what activities to do in the winter of West Lafayette, Indiana, I went to google to find a new spot to check out. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered this small Mexican bakery over in Lafayette called Mama Ines and based on the images and menu descriptions on their website, I knew I needed to check it out. And let me tell you, I was not in the least bit disappointed after going here.
This bakery is located about ten minutes from Purdue’s campus, which is thankfully not too far. From the outside, I could start to see some of the Mexican influence in the artitecture, but once I actually stepped inside I was blown away. I was instantly transported to Mexico, the decorations and colors were so breath-taking, and don’t even get me started on the aromas.
The whole place is lined with fresh baked pastries in glass containers, almost making it overwhelming to choose.
I spent about twenty minutes just looking through each of the glass barriers at all of the mouth watering desserts and baked goods in front of me. They had tostadas, fresh made tamales, conchas, and even more traditional Mexican foods.
Looking at all of this just brought me back to fun childhood memories of going to Mexico with my family. While I was looking around, I could hear customers and employees conversing in Spanish which really enhanced the culture in the bakery.
I ended up purchasing a ‘quesito’ which is a cream cheese filled pastry.
It was so rich and delicious, definitely something I didn’t expect to be able to get around here. I also bought a burrito with chorizo and a chicken tamale. Both were freshly made and everything together only cost $5.50, which was surprisingly cheap. Experiencing those moments of culture and tradition in the bakery was the perfect distraction from school and dreary winter weather.
Rosa Cornejo is the owner of the bakery and named it after her mother Maria Ines. Maria raised ten children in Zacatecas, Mexico and was so resilient and hard working she decided to name the bakery after her. Rosa moved from Mexico to Lafayette, Indiana and as she grew her single location into four bakeries across the state of Indiana alongside her family, she won the ‘Latino Business Woman of the Year’ in 2016. This place is full of so much history and culture you can’t help but feel inspired when you go.
If you need an idea for your next date night or you’re bored with friends, this is a must to check out. In the future when that sweet tooth craving hits, I will definitely be hitting this place up first.
Olivia's Thoughts 