Go inside Moreno Bakery for a Brandon favorite nearly 19 years in the making

BRANDON, FL — The smell of freshly baked bread, cases filled with colorful pastries and a seemingly endless selection of sweet and savory treats are waiting inside Moreno Bakery. The 10,000-square-foot Brandon bakery has been serving the community for nearly 19 years, becoming the kind of place that kept coming up as Tampa Bay 28 looked for businesses to showcase in Brandon. Behind many of those creations is head baker Steve Ward, who has been with Moreno Bakery since the beginning. Ward describes the work simply: “It’s a labor of love for sure.” And owner Jose Moreno isn't selling anything he wouldn't eat himself. “I eat the food over here. I take it home sometimes,” Moreno said. “I eat it because if you don't eat it, I mean, you're doing something wrong.” Finding inspiration far beyond Brandon Some of the bakery's creations begin thousands of miles from its kitchen. Susan Moreno said she and her family look for new ideas when they travel, then find ways to put their own spin on them back home in Brandon. One example is the bakery's pumpkin whoopie pie. The idea began during an Alaskan cruise when the family stopped at a bakery serving a pumpkin cookie. “I said, ‘What if we put cream cheese in it?’ And hence the pumpkin whoopie pie,” Susan Moreno said. “We always look for inspiration when we travel.” That pumpkin whoopie pie has since become a seasonal standout at Moreno Bakery. Ward recommends it as the one item customers should try, even for people who don't consider themselves pumpkin fans. Customers become family Beyond the food, Moreno Bakery has built its reputation around relationships with its customers. One customer said employees know her by name and make her feel welcome when she visits. That connection is part of what has allowed the bakery to become a familiar Brandon destination over nearly two decades. For the people behind the bakery, the recipes may continue to evolve as they find inspiration in new places, but Brandon remains home.