About
Masa Madre was born in Chicago — a city that soon became our second home.
We’re longtime friends from Mexico City who missed the flavors of home and shared a deep love for dessert. In 2018, we started baking together in our tiny apartment kitchens. What began as a side project, quickly grew into something bigger than we ever imagined.
Over the years, Masa Madre became a full-scale operation — a bake-to-order Mexican Jewish artisanal bakery, blending our Mexican roots with Tamar’s Jewish heritage. We shipped our baked goods nationwide, offered catering, taught classes, stocked local shops, and delivered fresh bread and pastries across the city and suburbs. Our team grew from just the two of us to five bakers and three delivery drivers who helped bring it all to life.
Through it all, we stayed true to our values — making everything from scratch, using high-quality ingredients, and staying connected to our roots and community.
While the bakery has closed and we now live in different cities, Masa Madre is still very much alive. This site is both an archive of everything we created — and a starting point for what’s next.
We’re not planning to reopen the bakery (for now), but we’re always open to new projects, pop-ups, classes, and meaningful collaborations. If you have anything in mind, feel free to reach out — we’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for being part of the journey!
Tamar and Elena
Elena Vazquez Felgueres
Co Founder
Hi, I’m Elena—a baker, recipe developer, and culinary instructor. I’m passionate about making delicious food and sharing it with others.
I grew up in Mexico City, learning how to cook with my grandmother—one of the best cooks I know. She taught me how to choose the best fruit, how to feed a crowd, and how to make the most beautiful cakes. My mom and grandma always cooked everything from scratch using fresh ingredients, and that way of cooking has stayed with me ever since.
When I was 18, I lived in Paris above a boulangerie, where I woke up every morning to the smell of freshly baked bread. One day, I ate an entire baguette by myself—and I think I’ve been in love with bread ever since.
I studied culinary arts and breadmaking in Mexico and Spain, and worked for years in restaurants and bakeries. In 2019, I co-founded Masa Madre, an artisanal Mexican-Jewish bakery in Chicago. What started as a small project grew into a bakery that delivered hundreds of loaves across Chicago and the U.S., and was featured in Bon Appétit, Chicago Magazine, and Forbes.
I now live in Phoenix, Arizona, where I continue to cook, bake, and teach. My mission is to bring back the joy of cooking and eating. Through classes and recipe development, I help people reconnect with their creativity, their roots, and the simple pleasure of sharing a home-cooked meal.
Follow my cooking adventures @elenafelgueres
Tamar Fasja Unikel
Co Founder
Born and raised in Mexico City to Syrian and Eastern European Jewish families, Tamar learned how to bake from a young age; from amazing cooking skills from her paternal grandmother on one side, and a baking gene from her maternal grandmother on the other who had her own bakery in Mexico City (Hadasa) since she can remember.
During highschool, she started her home-baking business, and continued it throughout her 4 years of Fashion Design BA. After working as a Fashion Stylist for brands and magazines, she met her husband and moved to Chicago in 2014. There, she started her food video blog, taught healthy cooking classes for kids and families in Public Schools through Common Threads, and hosted dinners through EatWith.
In 2017, after her long-time friend, Elena, moved to Chicago, they started Masa Madre, a Mexican-Jewish virtual bakery. This bakery went through several iterations, until finally closing doors in 2024.
Now living in Durham, North Carolina with her husband and two kids, she is working on opening an ice cream store with her brother in Mexico City!
Let’s connect.
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!