Adilene Camarena is the founder and chief baking officer of Around the World, a local bakery that provides Wacoans with an array of delicious international desserts right in the heart of Downtown Waco’s Union Hall.
Growing up with many extended family members in the restaurant business, and parents who own a Mexican restaurant in Hillsboro, TX, Camarena has always had a passion for culinary. She has loved baking since she was in middle school, but it wasn’t until a few years after graduating from college that her passion for baking became her vocation.
Having grown up just down the road in Hillsboro, Camarena made countless trips to Waco throughout her life. So, when it came time for college in 2014, she was excited to move to Waco to attend Texas State Technical College. After graduating from TSTC in 2016, she moved back home to Hillsboro for a short time while she planned her next adventure.
At the time, she had friends living in Mexico City and was eager to begin searching for flights to book a trip to see them. However, in her research, Camarena found a tour group opportunity that almost seemed too good to be true. The tour package was an all-in-one price that included flights, hotels, food and transportation to different countries all throughout Europe, so she booked the excursion and a month later was off to travel around the world.
Camarena left for the two-week trip in May of 2017 and spent time falling in love with places she had always dreamt of visiting: London, Paris and Rome. Her tour group was filled with other young adults around her same age. A group of people that left America as complete strangers, returned home as lifelong friends, bonded by the beauty, culture, food and adventures they shared together.
While Camarena loved all the places she visited on her trip, Rome was the place that completely captivated her affection. With its narrow, walkable streets, beautiful architecture, kind people and absolutely delicious food, she knew she would have to return some day to truly experience all the city has to offer. Having spent only a few days in each place, she returned home with a craving for more travel. In December of 2017, Camarena returned to Europe for an extended 21-day trip where she was able to spend even more time exploring the wonders of places like Prague, Rome and Spain.
However, on her second time around, Camarena made sure she included one special element: more food tours! At each stop, she immersed herself into the culture, trying food from street-carts to family-owned restaurants, bakeries, local markets and more. She was blown away at the delicacies she found overseas that she had never before experienced in the United States.
An adventurer at heart, when Camarena returned home to the United States in January of 2018, she was already looking to make her next move. She always knew she wanted to spend time living in another state. She has family in Indiana, so she packed all her belongings into her small car and made the trip. Shortly after arriving in the city, she found a job at a chocolate pop-up in the food hall downtown Indianapolis.
The shop specialized in all things chocolate, from truffles to chocolate covered pretzels, fudge and everything in between. Camarena loved working in the food hall, as she got to see and meet people in the city from all walks of life. And, each day she was at the shop, her mind would race with innovative ideas of all the treats she’d create if it were her own shop. After a few months, the pop-up closed and in October of 2018, she decided to move back to Texas.
When Camarena returned back home, she couldn’t help but remember her time abroad and all she had seen, experienced and tasted. She missed the delectable treats she ate in Prague, the bruschetta she tried in Rome and the breads she savored in Spain, and she knew she had to make a place for those things right here in Texas.
The food was so amazing and unique, and most of the food I tried were things you can’t find here in Texas or sometimes in the U.S. at all,” Adilene said.
“At the time, I wasn’t totally sure what I was going to do, but I knew I had to bring a taste of what I tried back to the states.”
Waco has always been one of Camarena’s favorite cities, but she especially loves how the entrepreneurial community here rallies around one another to bring old and new Wacoans together. So, when it came time to find a place to open her own bakery with international-inspired treats, she began her search right here in Waco.
“Waco has been more supportive than the support I’ve seen in other cities,” Camarena said. “Coming to Waco, I easily connected with people. Somebody would know somebody, and everyone was willing to help connect me with opportunities.”
In February of 2019, Camarena toured Union Hall and fell in love with the space. Instantly, she was reminded of some of her most favorite parts of working in the food hall in Indianapolis. She spent that next year researching, planning and creating a bakery menu that would encapsulate so many of her favorite treats from abroad.
On April 27, 2020, Around the World Bakery opened with the intention to be a bakery for all the adventurous foodies or even just the curious. With everything from cheesecake to pies, macaroons, cookies, pastries and more, Around the World offers unique and luxurious treats inspired by authentic foods from Camarena’s travels.
Camarena’s has loved that she’s been able to provide the Waco community with a range of diverse treats it has never seen before, but she’s especially thankful for the unique and supportive kind of community Waco is. She encourages anyone wanting to start a business in Waco to, “Just go for it!” Camarena says,
If you can envision it and you believe in it, go for it.”
Next time you’re craving a sweet treat, make sure to pop into Union Hall and visit Around the World!
