The bakery that's all the rage in La Plata: pastries, designer cakes, and specialty coffee
On any given day, the restaurant is packed. One of their croissants or slices of cake will draw a sigh and awaken the palate of those with a sweet tooth. Pastries and specialty coffee to take away or eat in: this is the concept of Dicha, the new addition to La Plata.
Behind this project is María Soledad Hernández, pastry chef trained at the Gato Dumas School and Le Cordon Bleu in France with experience in European kitchens (he worked alongside renowned chef Martín Berasategui in the Basque Country).
After returning, she decided to start her own project in 2017. Initially, she cooked at her parents' house, offering puddings, cakes, and pastries; later, she rented an apartment and launched Dicha as an event catering service.
With the aim of connecting with the public, in 2021 he created "La Ruta del Café," a pop-up event with tours of specialty coffee shops in La Plata. One Saturday a month, Sole would set up a table on the sidewalk and display all her preparations designed to accompany a coffee-loving moment. Little by little, the public became familiar with her, and her products began to gain popularity. .
The big leap came when she found a small space where she could set up shop and offer her pastries alongside a good coffee menu. That's how Sole celebrated the opening of DICHA's first location (on 54th Street) in mid-2022. The place quickly became one of the busiest gastro spots in the city of La Plata. .
Today the pastry chef is experiencing a new beginning. It has just moved to a larger location, on the corner of 5th and 41st , very close to the terminal, in what was once a tire shop. “Beyond the challenge of changing neighborhoods, what worried me most was how to transfer the warmth of the first location to this one, which is much larger, brighter, with straight lines, and actually colder. But I think we achieved it,” says Sole.
“People can easily identify that we're still the same Dicha , with colors like pink and English green, the wood countertops, the open kitchen, and the local artists who leave their mark on the walls—that's our signature. Everything makes the space feel warmer.”
The menu is extensive and there are options for all tastes. It is a pastry shop with specialty coffee and laminates . In the structure that separates the kitchen from the living room, the Viennosierie, with incredible croissants, Danish pastries and other items that rotate depending on the time of day At midday, savory versions appear on the scene.
On the counter, alfajores, pepas, cookies, chipá, and scones are among some of the regular dishes. There are also Ricarditos and Merengadas, for those seeking nostalgic flavors. One of the most acclaimed dishes here is the èclairs, a masterpiece of French pastry.
But it's the ice cream maker that steals the show. There are cakes, all very tempting. Sole interprets classics with her own unique perspective, though without straying from the original recipe. "The Basque Cake "It's like a tribute to my year in the Basque Country," she says. "I would go to the place where they made it and eat it hot on the streets. Something so simple can be so delicious. Here we serve it with a red fruit coulis. How can something so simple be so wonderful?" she adds nostalgically.
Among the most requested, and that “customers turned into classics, is the Pavlova, the not-so-sweet Lime Pie, and the Happy Birthday Cake as we call it, we have had it since our beginnings, with classic flavors like chocolate and dulce de leche, which are liked by both adults and children.”
Other distinctive features of the place are the Zucchini cake, the vegan chocolate cake And also, "classics like Selva Negra and Torta Balcarce are very popular, especially with older people," he says. "We try to respect the traditional recipe because that's what people demand; we don't make versions of the classics." To accompany this, Motofeca coffee prepared by the barista on duty, specialty teas, and natural juices, as well as a sub and hot chocolate.
Entering Dicha is a journey to sweet heaven. A huge counter proudly displays the pastries, baked daily, with some pieces rotating according to the season and whatever Sole feels like making, as her intuition and creativity drive her to innovate.
Sole prefers a women's team , feels more comfortable. You can see her cooking, serving a cake, or chatting with customers. “The dynamics of the kitchen are what draw me to it. That's why I designed this space to feel like a restaurant, coming and going from the kitchen to the dining room, and so the public can appreciate that movement. Because everything happens there; cakes are being baked and decorated all the time,” she emphasizes.
There are staples on the menu, while other products rotate depending on the season and what Sole finds on the market. Before launching a new product, she studies, tests, and perfects techniques.
“We take care of the products we have and always keep a creative path open, researching what we're going to do for the next season. That keeps us sharp,” says the pastry chef. “It's essential to stay in touch with the product and identify its multiple uses. Knowing what mandarin oranges are for, for example, and thinking about what we do, how we can enhance their flavor, because we don't use any artificial flavors or premixes.”
The discipline and rigor with which products are selected are key to the brand's growth. "One thing we're firm about is maintaining quality. We want the person who bought a Cheesecake three years ago to experience the same flavor now. That's my path, that's what interests me, and what gives the brand its identity because Dicha is all about that: finding a balance between deliciousness and aesthetics."
The cakes sum up Sole's universe with her innovative vision of gastronomy and her meticulous eye. Flower-topped cakes with unusual shapes are already a signature. "Among the most requested are the Pavlova towers and the rectangular Rogel, but this year we've made long rectangular cakes (from 2 to 3 meters), and the most recent one that made a splash was the Dome cake." , which we launched on the opening day of this new establishment,” says the cook.
The flavor accompanies the scene. “At Bliss, nothing will ever be more beautiful than delicious; I'm strict about that, too. What you see has to live up to what you eat, so as not to disappoint. That's part of this quest for 'sustain' we talked about.”
The new location has a larger capacity, designed to offer comfort to customers who want to sit and enjoy something delicious on-site, with products on display and a fully open kitchen that's both aesthetically pleasing and functional, allowing them to see customers eating and enjoying themselves.
“I love the exchange that happens with the public, the surprise people get when they come into the shop and see the counter full of delicious things, and when they don't know what to choose,” says the pastry chef. "I love seeing how they enjoy my cakes, and that allows me to have the kitchen open; the public in the distance makes faces and gestures at us showing how much they're having a good time, and that comforts us." , because ultimately we are part of someone's plan, to give themselves a moment of flavor, to meet a partner or friend... and we try to give them the best through the product and the service, so that the customer feels that 'bliss', which is ultimately what we seek."
Sole Hernández is having a great time and her potential is endless. "Now I'm settling in and enjoying this new space, but I'll soon be back with the cooking and pastry workshops, something I started this year and really enjoy," she reveals. She reveals that she'll soon be launching group culinary trips, with her own unique approach.
Address: Calle 5 esq 41, La PlataOn IG: @dichapasteleria
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 8am to 8pm.
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