To know Luis Gutierrez Beattie is to know joy, generosity and incredible laughter! A family friend of many years, it comes as no surprise that his business, Pasteles Jaque Mate, is exploding in popularity and appeal. A Brownsville native who grew up across the border, he recently began managing the business that his parents started more than 30 years ago.
His mother, Rocio Beattie, began baking in the late eighties out of necessity. In 1992, Luis and his parents went back to the drawing board, contemplating whether they should open up a restaurant or dessert shop. An only child, Luis shares, “In my house, it’s a democracy. I started drawing and it (the idea) came to me; I made the logo, came up with the name and wrote ‘Pasteles’ on top.” The idea he came up with at the tender age of 8 is a registered trademark.
In 1998, they opened up a storefront in Matamoros. Craving something sweet larger than a cupcake, but smaller than a regular cake, Beattie created her own mold for the mini-cake. Soon after, Luis went off to college, receiving a Bachelor’s in Marketing and later obtaining an MBA. He traveled throughout the United States working as a marketing manager for multiple corporations. While he enjoyed the varied experiences, he missed his family.
After a series of events, Luis approached his mother and asked her to teach him how to bake in December 2018. “I was so nervous,” he said, “(because) the brand and the legacy were all in Matamoros. I took a leap of faith and started baking from the heart. Thank God, everything flowed as if I had been doing it all my life.”
Luis tells his customers that he does not sell cakes, but sells joy and happiness instead. Pasteles Jaque Mate is a local,
Bestsellers include The Tropical (“Summer in a Bite”: a vanilla cake with pineapple and bananas hidden beneath the frosting, topped with coconut and pecans creating a moist, fresh texture) and Tres Leches (different from traditional versions: not too sweet and invites you for another bite). The Selva Negra (chocolate cake drizzled with hot chocolate with cream cheese frosting and cherries on top) is also quite popular. Each flavor on their menu is the result of Beattie’s years of experience, a decadent collection sure to delight the taste buds.
About a month ago, a potential reseller from a local restaurant challenged Luis to create desserts with higher profile ingredients for their menu. The result: The Premium Collection. Luis took a couple of weeks and put exotic and luxurious twists on his top three best sellers (The Tropical, Tres Leches and Selva Negra). The premium version of Tres Leches (El Dorado) uses (pure) Madagascar Vanilla and hosts a 24-kt gold leaf on top. “You’re eating actual gold!” he exclaims.
The Tropical Premium (El Millonario) includes caramelized, charred pineapple, a recipe for Bananas Foster (think butter and cinnamon) and toasted coconut on top. This particular cake boasts exotic preparation and is my husband’s personal favorite. When Luis catered my first book signing event, these were immediately devoured by guests. The flavors are amplified in the premium version!
The Selva Negra Premium (El VIP) is a posh, dark chocolate cake with imported cherries from Italy (Luxardo) infused with a special syrup, paired with cream cheese frosting, and topped with chocolate ganache and Ruby Chocolate. Ruby Chocolate is the most recently discovered,
Luis regularly receives messages from customers raving about his desserts, saying they can’t wait to continue
“My idea is to put a storefront here in Brownsville. I want to find something with a drive-thru, ideally,” Luis concludes, “I want to expand to other cities as well. Being able to bring all this joy to so many people is something you can’t put a price tag on. That’s what drives and fuels me. I need to share this love and joy with as many people as possible. “
My family and I have been recipients of this love and joy on multiple occasions. Most recently, Luis messaged me on Facebook when he heard I was having a book signing. “G,” he wrote, “do you have anyone catering your event?” In his generosity, he donated a dozen of his three top-sellers. People ate them up! When I interviewed him for this story, he came over and gave us a Premium mini-cake, El VIP. He stood beside us, eyes wide and mouth agape, as my family of five devoured it in less than one minute!
With Father’s Day around the corner, why not gift your favorite Dad an artisanal mini, medium or even large cake? If the way to a man’s heart is truly through his stomach, you can’t go wrong with these delightful treats. They are baked fresh daily and made in small batches for maximum freshness. Orders are taken via their Facebook page. Let’s order from Pasteles Jaque Mate, and enjoy a dessert that will make the whole family smile, while simultaneously supporting a local business.
