Sweet Heritage: How Oak Cliff's D'delicias Bake Mexican Roots into Every Bite

Two sisters are on a mission to honor the legacy of their family and Mexico through delicious cheesecakes, sweets and chamoy. And, thankfully, Dallas is the beneficiary of it.

D’delicias is a sweets shop and pop-up from sisters Dolores and Daisy Tellez. Dolores has been baking since she was 11 years old, thanks to her aunt, Brenda Calderon, who died in 2011 and taught her how to bake her famous Mexican cheesecake. 

“I kind of gave up baking at that time,” Dolores says. “I was still in high school, and it was the first person who passed that I could remember; I didn't even look at baking after that.”

The COVID-19 pandemic marked the resurgence of her passion for baking. Since everyone was isolating at home, she began cooking and baking more frequently, especially for her uncle, Ulysses Calderon, who loved her sweet treats.

“My uncle came to visit me, and he said, ‘Mija, you should start selling, you should create a business and make it your own,’” Dolores recalls. “He just kept insisting, and I said I’d think about it.” Her uncle died on Thanksgiving Day 2020, but not before leaving her with words that would change the trajectory of her life and simultaneously shake her out of a funk she had been in for years.

“My uncle's speech; I'll never forget that conversation on my porch because it was impactful, he told me I had the fury and strength he wished he could have had,” Dolores says.

She got back to the thing she knew best: baking. Through her grief, she baked almost nonstop, which eventually paved the path for her business.

“When grief hits, it hits in the most inappropriate ways, so in order for me to be quiet, I was baking,” Dolores says. “I didn't know what else to do, because there's nothing I could do.

A few months later, D’delicias started selling at pop-ups and markets and was even one of the first vendors to sell at the genesis of the Bishop Bazaar in 2022. There, she formed many connections, including with Zoya and Gerardo Hernandez of the ice cream shop Scoop N’ Buns in Garland.

“They knew I was looking for a production kitchen, so they offered a space, and because of that connection, I'm able to sell my cheesecake here, and I make the Dubai chocolate bars for them as well," she says.

D’delicias has expanded the brand to make and sell chamoy in flavors like mango, watermelon and tamarind, with various packaging options like bottles, containers and even keychains with a mini tajin and a bottle opener, which can be found at Scoop N’ Buns and Mentiiras in Oak Cliff.

Customers can purchase different variations of their chamoy candy and desserts like their signature cheesecakes on D'delicias' website.

Their menu for pop-up events includes Mexican Cheesecake, the ever-so-popular Dubai chocolate strawberries, chamoy containers, strawberry shortcake cheesecake, banana pudding cheesecake, Oreo cheesecake and a Rusa mocktail in a cantarito (think Paloma). The menu fluctuates depending on the type of event. Be on the lookout for their creative desserts, like El Vanidoso Cake, a four-layer cake made with tres leches, flan, chocolate and cheesecake.

Dolores owes all her success to her aunt and uncle, who showed her the ropes and motivated her to pursue a business in baking. She follows in her aunt's footsteps and bakes with love, so much so that whenever a crust breaks off or something doesn’t feel right, she takes it as a sign to stop baking because it won't taste right.

“The emotion she had every time it was done cooking; the happiness; the giddiness; how relaxed she looked; I'm seeing her right now pulling out a cheesecake from the oven in my head,” Dolores says.

She also attributes a lot of her drive to her love for her Mexican culture, which she incorporates into everything she does. She hopes one day to open a brick-and-mortar, but until then, Dolores and Daisy want to continue working hard and creating a lasting impact.

“For me, it's more of a legacy, you know, I want to keep them alive, and because I'm so proud of being a Mexican, so you have to put energy in, otherwise you won't grow,” Dolores says. “When there is passion, it is noticeable, and it's seen in the presentation and taste, and the customers are attracted to that because if you love what you do, the people will see it.”