Employee spotlight: Ezequiel Gutierrez

By Staff
Kim West
Franklin County Times
Name: Ezequiel Gutierrez
Birthplace: Mexico
Position/Employer: Owner and baker, Mexico Cakes &Bakery
Family: Married to Leticia Najera; three daughters and one son
FCT: How long have you owned your own bakery?
EG: I've owned this bakery for two years. I've been doing this job all my life, and I've worked in a bakery for 22 years. I worked in California for several years before coming here.
FCT: What made you decide to move from California to Alabama?
EG: A friend who lived here called me and said Alabama needed some (more) good bakeries.
FCT: How many hours per week do you usually work?
EG: My wife and I are here 12 hours a day, six days a week. The store is open from 8 to 8, except on Wednesdays, because we're close on that day.
FCT: How many customers do you average per day?
EG: Every day is different, and sometimes it's slow and sometimes it's busy. Saturday and Sunday are busy – those are good days because we get a lot of customers.
FCT: Do you want to make any changes to your business?
EG: No, everything is good.
FCT: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
EG: I like to play with my son and my daughters, and I like to take my wife out to eat. We like The Maguey and La Hacienda in Decatur and El Parian and Harvest Buffet in Muscle Shoals – my wife loves Chinese food, and my children like it, too.
FCT: What do you like most about living in Russellville?
EG: People are very friendly and the schools are very good. My oldest daughter (age 14) goes to Russellville High School, and my son (age 12) goes to Russellville Middle School. One of my daughters (age 10) goes to West Elementary, and the youngest (age 6) goes to Russellville Elementary.