Tutuli Mexican Bakery Brings Classic Sonoran Coyotas to the Bay Area
Sheree Bishop, Communications Coordinator
September 26, 2025
Named one of the best bakeries in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle, Tutuli Mexican Bakery lives up to the hype with its classic coyotas and delicious cornbread. On Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, baker Sofia Jimenez brings her handcrafted Sonoran pastries in a variety of seasonal flavors.
Adapting Mexican Family Recipes for the Bay
Sofia was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, where her grandmother often made delicious, traditional dishes, including guava caramel coyotas. The pastries, hailing from the Sonora region of Mexico, are known for their flaky crust with a soft crunch that reveals a sweet, fruity filling inside.
Though coyotas are popular in Mexico as a whole, the name of the business itself, Tutuli, is a tribute to the Sonora region in particular. Tutuli means beautiful in Yaqui, an indigenous language spoken by the Yaqui people (the original Sonorans and their descendants).
All of Sofia’s recipes, including the original caramel and guava coyotas, are her family recipes, adapted to be made in California. While Guadalajara sits at around 1,500 meters (around 4,900 feet) above sea level, San Leandro, where Tutuli is based, is only around 8 meters (around 26 feet) above sea level. Higher altitude means that the air is thinner and exerts less pressure than it would at a lower elevation, which can make dough rise or expand faster than expected, and even cause changes in taste perception.
A baker can adjust their recipes for altitude changes by changing the amount of water, sugar, or oven temperature. Through trial and error, Sofia altered every aspect of the recipe to account for humidity and altitude differences, all while creating the same nostalgic flavors she grew up with.
Getting Comfortable in the Kitchen
Despite the amount of time in the kitchen it took to perfect her coyota recipe, Sofia didn’t always have an interest in food. That came around 2014, when she decided to make the move to the United States from Mexico.
“I didn’t know how to identify a jalapeno from a serrano pepper… I hated to wash dishes, anything to do with the kitchen, for me, was like hell. But then, I moved here, and for some reason, I came here working for a produce company,” Sofia says.
The company assigned her to a farm to pick tomatillos. For Sofia, the few weeks that she spent working at the farm were eye-opening. She began to think about where her food comes from and the labor it takes to get to the table. She later decided to settle in the Bay Area, which meant leaving the produce company and finding work at a now-closed Oakland restaurant called Tamarindo Antojeria.
She started a full-time job as a hostess and got along well with the crew in the kitchen, which led the owner, Gloria, to allow her to learn from them. A few days a week, Sofia received professional culinary training with their guidance. Eventually, she worked her way up to be in charge of the cold bar, handling desserts, ceviches, and salads.
Sofia says, “Gloria gave me the freedom to use my creativity, and I did a really good job. And that’s where everything clicked.”
Tamarindo Antojeria closed in late 2019, around the beginning of the pandemic. During the lockdowns a few months later, Sofia got food for herself and her children through farmers markets and other distribution sites. “I wanted to give back to farmers,” Sofia says, “So I started cooking for them, making a lot of meals for the crew that was back at the field, and it was a lot of work and a lot of money out of my pocket.”
Sofia wanted to expand her ability to cook for others, hire support staff, and offer more meals to farmers in her area. To do that, she would need to start a nonprofit, which required $5,000 in startup fees. She thought back to the guava coyotas that her grandmother used to make, and decided to make her first batch to sell to friends, family, and neighbors as a fundraiser.
“Word got around, and they started to get super popular. Next thing I knew, I had a couple of wholesale accounts. That kept me busy, kept me going,” Sofia says.
Bringing Sonoran Treats to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Tutuli Mexican Bakery initially joined the farmers market in April 2025 through Mandela Partners as part of Foodwise’s Building Equity Program. “When I got the invitation through Mandela Partners, I was like, ‘Are you serious? Wow!’ When I got there the first time, everybody was so nice, so welcoming. It has been an experience that I really love,” Sofia says.
Through her business, Sofia is still active in a variety of local fundraisers, a reflection of the love for community that drives her business decisions. Sofia also collaborates with other Ferry Plaza Farmers Market vendors, such as Kuali. Together, they’ve created a savory coyota filled with goat cheese, prosciutto, and Kuali’s Good Food Award-winning Salsa Macha Clásica. Sofia says that, even though there are no savory coyotas in Mexico, she still enjoys experimenting with new flavors.
“If it wasn’t for Janeen and Rodrigo, I wouldn’t be here because they were the first ones who posted my coyotas on social media without knowing me, and, oh my God, they brought me so much business. They really boosted me, and I am forever grateful for them. Now I can say that we’re really good friends, and I love to see them every Saturday at the farmers market,” Sofia says.
At the market, shoppers can find coyotas filled with raspberry, guava, and other seasonal fruits, all of which pair well with her sweet cornbread. When it comes to the fillings, what Sofia doesn’t grow herself, she often purchases from Yerena Farms. Her cajeta, a caramel-adjacent sauce made with goat’s milk and sugar, is sourced from a small family business in Jalisco.
Sofia also sells her coyotas and cornbread online and at cafes around the Bay Area. As Tutuli continues to grow, Sofia is determined to maintain the homemade roots of her business while giving shoppers something to look forward to.
“I put in a lot of love, and I try to use the original recipes, not using stuff I wouldn’t give to my kids,” Sofia says. “Eventually, I will be integrating long lost recipes for different pastries. I also like to feature flowers from other vendors at the farmers market. I like to bring a little joy for the eyes, not just for the stomach.”
Visit Tutuli Mexican Bakery on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Topics: Building Equity program, Culinary, Entrepreneurship, Farmers market